The Part of You That Stayed Behind
by TDBigJ1213
Summary: After a rumor claiming that he cheated in a battle ruins his reputation as World Champion, Ash Ketchum disappears from the World and after twenty four years he still hasn't returned, worrying his wife Serena and three kids. As she sits on a park bench, she reflects on her life with Ash, with many people listening in to hear the whole story. Amourshipping. (ON INDEFINITE HIATUS)
1. I'll Be There For You

**TDBigJ's message:** *Points fingers in the air repeatedly* YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I'm back, and I'm more stoked than ever! It feels good to be releasing another story. That fourteen weeks off was fun but it was way too long. For the most of the fourteen weeks I was off, I was enjoying myself, typing for my crossover fic and this, but about a month ago, I was beginning to miss releasing chapters for a story. So my creative juices rushed through my bloodstream and I got to work a lot more than I have been. I've missed you all and I hope some of you who have been with me for previous rides are back to read this one. So, what has been up with me for the past three months? Well, a few things actually. I have had a few more job interviews (including one just on Wednesday, and another coming up on Monday), with no success (at least not yet). Regarding my most recent interview, I have said to you guys before that if I get a job that updates probably won't be that frequent or even weekly, well, that may not be the case, as this job I interviewed for starts at four in the morning and ends at eight. Yep, four hour shift. But seeing as it's at that time, it may not interfere with progression of chapters. We'll see. I've been practicing hard to become street legal (Drive if you didn't know that already). And, I've been playing the heck out of Pokemon Moon. When I ended Against All Odds, I had only three Pokemon at my disposal: A Torracat (Now an Incineroar), A Trumbeak (Now a Toucannon), a Wingull (Now a Pelipper), and a Growlithe. Since then, I have acquired a Lillipup (Now a Herdier), an Eevee (initially an egg and has now evolved into an Espeon), and a Pancham (Now a Pangoro). I currently have completed six Island trials, with the most recent being Sophocles'. It's still a freaking fun game. Anyway, enough about me, what has been up with you guys in the last three months? Leave it in a review or send me a PM. Anyway, now with the story. If you didn't know already, this story will be called "The Part of You That Stayed Behind", and what I can tell you what this story will be like, it's going to be more drama based than any of my previous stories. Another thing I can tell you that it's going to be a Forrest Gump type of story (The more you read this story the more you'll understand what I mean by that). It wasn't my intent for it to be like that, but the more I thought of the plot of this story, that movie came to mind. This story will have romance in it don't you worry. I might even add a few sensual moments, but no lemons (I would never go that far). And one last thing, this story will mainly be told from Serena's point of view. That's as much as I will tell you as I don't want to spoil anything major. Well, that should just about do it. But before I start the story, I'm going to do something I haven't done with any of my previous stories, I'm going to welcome back those who have read my previous stories (Just in case you're reading this story right now). I'll at least mention the ones I remember. I'll do that, and then the story begins.

 **Brig nodrm2347-** If you're reading this, welcome back! I hope this story will be just as good or even better than my last three. Enjoy the ride!

 **Oliverqueen01-** If you're reading this, I'm glad to see you reading this again. Of course I won't know until I get reviews for this chapter after I publish it. How has WWE been for you in the last three months? How about the Superstar Shake up that happened this week? And more importantly, how do you feel about Shinsuke Nakamura going to Smackdown Live (I know you said before that he was your favorite nowadays and Smackdown Live is the better show)? Anyway, enjoy the story!

 **TheAztecKing-** I know you only read my last story, but I'm glad you gave it so much support and I'm really enjoying your story as well. Oh, and sorry for not reviewing your story when I said I would (Man I can't keep a promise can I?). If you're reading this, thank you! I'll be happy to see you back!

 **Guest-** My most loyal guest, if you are reading this, welcome back! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated the crossover fic as much as you wanted me to during my break but lately I've been pretty busy, but you can expect at least one or two updates per month as I've stated before I can only work on one multi-chapter story at a time. But I'll do my best to get chapters out on a bi-monthly/monthly basis. The next chapter is just about done and I should have it out by the end of the weekend or in the next week, we'll see. But anyways, if you're reading this, glad to see you again.

 **Mad Ass Dragon-** My favorite undead sweetness overloaded dragon, I'm hoping you are reading this, if you are, welcome back! I hope you'll enjoy this one and I'm crossing my fingers that I won't put you back into a diabetic coma with this story, although I think this story will be lighter on the romance side, even though there will be quite a bit of it in this, but the moments won't be as heavy, by that I mean not like every chapter. Anyway, I welcome you back if you're reading this.

If there is anyone else I forgot to mention, welcome back!

 **TDBigJ's message (continued):** That's as much as I have to say, but… I have one more thing to mention. At the moment, I'm going through a hard time. Earlier this week, I just lost one of my dogs. She was the best dog, but thing is, she was an old dog, she was a fourteen year old dog and she just couldn't hold on. I was the first one in my family to find out. She passed away outside, which is where she loved it the most. That's life I guess. But another thing came to mind (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD). Last week's second episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon would kind of reflect what just happened to my dog. Stoutland kind of looks like a dog and he ended up passing away near the end of the episode and moving on to a better life. Kind of ironic that this all happened, isn't it?

Well, with that set aside, I think I have everything that I wanted to say off my chest, now let's get on with the story.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.**

"Never."

"Never did I think this would happen."

"Where did all the love go?"

"Where did the roaring of the crowds go?"

"And most importantly…"

"Where did the love of my life go?"

"My husband, Ash Ketchum, went off the face of the Earth twenty four years ago. I haven't seen him, my kids haven't seen him, his friends haven't seen him, no one's seen him in that long. Not after he disappeared and went to Arceus knows where."

"If you don't know me by now, my name's Serena, Serena Ketchum more specifically. Actually, no one knows me by that anymore. Ever since my husband disappeared no one has acknowledged me by the name Serena Ketchum, not once, except for my friends. But I still consider myself Serena Ketchum, even though he's been gone for almost two and a half decades. But I don't care what others think of me as. If they don't think of me as that anymore, I could care less. I'm still married to the guy for crying out loud."

"Also, no one sees me as the Pokemon World Champion's wife anymore. They only see me as "The cheaters wife". Why a cheater you ask? Well, that was the main reason why my husband went into hiding. Let me explain."

"Twenty four years ago, when we were twenty eight, Ash had just won a battle narrowly against a member of the Sinnoh elite four. It was a tough battle, but Ash was barely able to squeeze in a victory. But that's not the whole story. A day later, someone claimed to have seen Ash use an illegal tactic in the battle and nearly everybody in the world turned on him and shunned him as the World Champion. The only ones other than me who thought this was a lie were our kids, friends, and family. I knew Ash wouldn't do that, our kids knew he wouldn't do that, our mothers knew he wouldn't do that, and Ash's friends that he travelled with and encountered when he was young knew he wouldn't do that. We all knew Ash was better than that. He would never resort to cheating to win a battle."

"I wonder who started that rumor. Yes, it was a rumor, I don't care what anyone else said it was, it was a rumor. Maybe there was someone out there who despised the fact that Ash was World Champion and spread it just to ruin his reputation, or it was just someone who thought it would be funny just to do something like that and spread it around just to see what would happen. It was sick whoever did it, and for whatever reason, I don't know, but that ruined the life I had with the most important person I ever met."

"But things were a lot different now. Twenty four years later, people who were alive back then and still are now are wondering where he went, now regretting their actions and wishing he was back. That confused me, but not just that, it also irked me quite a bit."

"Why would it irk me? Why? Let me tell you. Twenty four years ago, you people forced him to go into hiding when you turned your backs on something he didn't even do, but yet now that he's been gone for so long, you all of a sudden want him to come back to civilization? Well guess what? You should've thought of that twenty four years ago before doing what you did. Make up your freaking minds people."

Yes, this was something that irritated the living hell out of me. I hate those people for being so stubborn and arrogant at what happened a long time ago, and I'm not a person who hates easily, the only people that I've hated in my life before now was Team Rocket. Yeah, they irritated me to no end when I travelled with my husband, and Clemont and Bonnie when I was ten. But at least we don't hear about them anymore. Who knows where they went to? Not that I care anyway. The only thing I know about them is that they're not in Team Rocket anymore. Maybe suffering one too many of my husband's Pikachu's thunderbolts kind of jolted some sense into them.

But by then, you've probably done the math. Yes, I'm fifty two years old now. I feel old but my kids and friends tell me otherwise. They say I look like I'm only thirty five, which was a compliment I accepted. I look at myself in the mirror every day and see what they are trying to say, not to sound vain or anything but I kind of do look like I'm thirty five. My hair is still honey blonde with not a gray hair in sight, and I barely have any wrinkles (give or take a couple on my cheekbones). My hair is basically a little longer, maybe a couple inches, than it was when I cut it when I was ten. It's basically at the middle of my shoulder blades, still curled a little bit. I like the fact that I look younger than I really am, but I'm not a looks type of person, inner beauty is the most important to me, no doubt.

Did I mention that I have kids? Sorry, I should have brought up that topic first. My husband and I have three kids, two sons and a daughter. My oldest is Gabriel, who is now thirty years old (Had him when I was twenty two). My middle is my daughter Carissa, who is twenty nine (Had her when I was twenty three), and my youngest is my other son Colby, who is twenty six (Had him when I was also twenty six).

I couldn't have been happier with the three kids I have. So was my husband, he was a proud father. My two sons, Gabriel and Colby look just like me: honey blonde hair, blue eyes and almost the exact facial features. And the funny thing was they took after me too. My daughter Carissa looks exactly like her dad: Raven black hair, brown eyes, and the same two marks on her cheeks that her dad possesses. She took after her dad as well, and is set on becoming a World Champion like him too.

I may have been a mother for thirty years, but I am also a grandmother as well. Gabriel has two kids of his own now, both daughters. Carissa is a mother as well, three kids, all sons. Even my youngest Colby has two kids, a son and a daughter. I love my grandchildren to death. You wouldn't believe how much I spoil the seven of them.

But enough about me for now, this is not all about me, it's about my husband. When it came to the whole cheating scandal, he was infuriated when he heard someone say he used an illegal tactic in the battle. Yeah, he was not a happy camper. Within a week after the news, Ash gathered the press to try to convince the whole world that he didn't cheat, but it didn't do him much good. Everyone still thought he cheated, especially when a video, which looked like it was edited (Which it was) to show that he "used" the illegal tactic in the battle. But it was crap. I remember that exact moment in the battle with my own two eyes, it never happened. It seemed like whoever ruined his reputation really wanted him to suffer and seem like he wasn't worthy of his title. My first guess was that it was Jessie, James, and Meowth but that seemed too obvious. Besides, those guys weren't even in Team Rocket anymore, so it couldn't have been them, but at the same time, I'm not ruling them out.

It was hard not having him around, and like I said before, the rest of the world thought so too. The world hasn't had a world champion since he left. Since he never lost a battle where he would be dethroned as world champion, he still held the title, even though he hasn't battled in twenty four years. The rules were you had to lose a title match to lose being World Champion, by no other circumstances could you have it taken away, but it kind of didn't make sense since our World Champion was away in who knows where. The only thing that was decided regarding this subject was who would battle him for the title if he ever returned, and, wouldn't you know it… that person was our daughter Carissa.

As stated before, Carissa took after her dad. She wanted to be World Champion like him, and she was a fierce battler like him too. She learned from her dad about Pokemon battling, but not in the way you think. She watched many videos of her dad's battles from his childhood to his most recent battle and kept a close eye of everything her dad did and the girl was something to behold. But would she take the title from her dad? One day, we'll possibly know.

I guess that's a lot said for the basics for now. I swear my life hasn't been the same since he left. I was living my dream of being married to and having a family with my childhood crush, but one small rumor made everything vanish like a candle in the wind. The comments from everybody who shunned him struck me hard like a thorn in my side. Actually, it was more like a sharpened stake. I still remember some of the things people said, some were along the lines of…

" _You rotten scumbag? How could you have done such a thing?"_

" _You're such a dumbass! If you cheat, you're not a World Champion, you're a cowardly wreck!_

" _How can you live with yourself? I expected better from you, champ."_

" _A novice trainer would've won that battle without cheating. I was wrong about you."_

" _I looked up to you, now I've lost all respect for you. You suck to all ends."_

I admit, some of them were generic, but they still hurt. The week leading up to Ash's disappearance he had lost his anger on a constant basis, and that was not like him at all. Ash never lost his anger that easy, but when it came to this, it was a different story. Ash had worked hard day in and day out since he went out on his journey when he was ten. No one had a better drive to achieve his dream than him. Mine was nowhere near his. It seemed like he would stop at nothing, not caring if he didn't sleep, if he got sick, if he was injured to be the Pokemon master he wanted to be. His drive was one of my favorite things about him. His determination was one of his best characteristics and that's what made him World Champion. He knew that he wouldn't become World Champion overnight, but that only fueled him up more, and everyone that he travelled with, encountered in his younger days, had a tremendous amount of respect for him… and still do.

But that was all thrown away. I remember the day he went into hiding. He had gathered me and our kids and told us the words that meant the most to us. I can still remember the exact words he told me right before leaving.

 **Flashback**

" _Look, I'm sorry I have to do this, but I need to leave for a while and think things through. I hate to leave you all behind, but I don't have any other choice." Ash started._

" _Listen honey, there are better ways to deal with this. You can just wait until it all blows over." Serena said._

" _With how major this is, it's going to be a while until anything blows over, if it ever will. I can't go around town and people look at me with disapproving eyes and condescending expressions. I will be gone a while, but I promise I'll be back." Ash explained._

" _Please, don't go. What are the kids going to do while you're away? I can't raise them all by myself."_

 _Ash put his hands on Serena's shoulders. "Look Serena, you're the strongest person I know. I know you will be able to take care of the three of them while I'm gone. You can do it."_

" _Gabriel and Carissa are still very young, but Colby, he's only two years old, he needs you around. It's going to be hard for me." Serena explained._

" _It may be hard, but it's not impossible. Just do it to the best of your ability. I'll be back in a while. Trust me." Ash stated._

" _Return when you can. Don't rush it." She stated._

" _I promise." He kissed her on the lips. "One hundred ten percent. I'll see you all in a while."_

 _Then he turned around and started walking away, but was immediately stopped when he felt something hug his leg. Ash looked down. It was five year old Carissa holding on tight to his leg, a few tears trickling down her cheeks._

" _Daddy, please don't go." She whined._

 _Ash leaned down and hugged his daughter. "I don't want to go either, baby. But it's something I have to do."_

" _But who will teach me to become a Pokemon trainer when I turn ten?" Carissa asked._

" _Carissa, you're a strong little girl. I believe that you will become the best trainer you can be on your own. You just have to find your own way. That's how I did it." Ash explained._

" _How?"_

 _Ash put his hands on Carissa's shoulders. "Carissa, you're not only strong, you're also smart. I know you can think of the best way to become the strongest Pokemon trainer you will set yourself out to be. Just follow those words and you'll succeed, okay?"_

 _Carissa gave her dad a tight hug. "Okay, dad, I will."_

 _Ash stood back up and continued walking away. He stopped one more time a few seconds later, saying one last thing before departing._

" _I believe in you. Like I always have."_

 **End of flashback**

That last line got me thinking… Was he saying that to me? Was he saying that to Carissa? Was he saying it to all of us? I didn't have a clue. But that was the last thing he ever said to us. We all miss him dearly. I miss him a lot. Our kids miss him a lot. But out of everybody, I probably missed him the most. But hey, it wasn't a competition.

That is only the beginning of the story. There is loads more to tell, to you, to everybody. I can remember every waking moment from the day he won the title of World Champion, to the day that ruined everything. This is not all of everything I have to tell you, not by a long shot.

Right now, I'm just starting with the basics.

 **Author's note:** What a depressing start to the story. This story will probably have a lot more drama than any of my three previous stories and might even have you shedding a few tears here and there. This one will be right in the feels. I feel like this is going to be one of my best stories to date, but I won't know that for sure until the fifteenth chapter is released, which is a long fourteen weeks away. But… considering how fast it will be from chapter one to fifteen, long probably isn't the appropriate word. I guess I don't have a word for it… at least not yet. While I look in the dictionary for the best word for this, look on to the preview (You probably knew this was coming).

 _Charizard and Lucario were both standing on the battlefield, completely worn out after giving each other their all. It was back and forth after the halfway point, and it was clear that one of them was about to fall. The whole stadium knew that neither Pokemon could take another hit, and the battle was just about at it's end._

 _And then…_

 _Lucario closed his eyes and fell down on the warm dirt of the battleground, out for the count with Charizard still standing. The referee made the call._

" _Lucario is unable to battle, Charizard wins. That means this battle goes to the challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town." The referee announced._

" _YEAH!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs. He had finally achieved his dream of becoming a Pokemon master, as he was now the World Champion, the youngest ever, at the age of 16._

 _All of Ash's friends had rushed onto the field as Ash continued to yell to the skies, all the while on his knees, eyes closed, and arms high in the air. Stephan and Cilan were the first to get to him and picked him up onto their shoulders. The rest of his friends came and patted him on the back as they congratulated his victory. The six years of training had finally paid off and it was well deserved._

" _Congratulations Ash!" May commented._

" _You definitely deserve it! You've worked so hard for this!" Misty added._

" _You're definitely not a little kid anymore. Great job!" Iris said._

" _It must feel good to have finally achieved your dream. I'm happy for you, Ash." Bonnie exclaimed._

" _Thanks you guys. I owe a lot of it to your support. Thanks for sticking by me." Ash stated._

 **Back in present day**

"So that's how he won the World Title, huh?" Phil asked.

"Yep. That day changed for him in more ways than one." Serena replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing." She responded, a little shy to say what happened next.

"So then what happened?" Phil asked.

Serena took a deep breath before responding. "What happened next… is something that changed my life forever."

 **Author's note-2:** Well, looks like things could possibly be off to a smooth start. Gee, I sure hope so, because I don't want it to be rough like the skin on my back. Whoops! Was that too much information? If not, then it looks like I'm good. If it is, then I'm a freaking gross individual. I'll see you all in a week as I apply lotion to my back. *Slaps forehead* I'm nasty. Just nasty. What do you think will happen next? I'm pretty sure you'll be able to guess, the hint is pretty obvious, but every once in a while my previews have to be at least a little obvious, but besides that, that's pretty much it. And who is Phil? You'll find out in the next chapter. And also, the name of each chapter will be the title of a Bon Jovi song (Entertaining music if you ask me). Sorry, that's just a sort of thing that I will be doing with my stories from now on, naming them after a song title. A lot of them fit well if you ask me. And one more thing, I am planning to add an OC to this story but I want to know if it's okay with you guys to put him in. The thing about him is that he is related to one of the characters. I want to know if you guys are okay with him being in this story, if so, then I'll keep him in the chapters I've already finished, if not, then it looks like I have some work to edit. Leave me a thought in your reviews (Although it's completely optional). I'll see you all in a week. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**

" **Join the club. We've got jackets."**

 **-Shrek, Shrek 2**


	2. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

**TDBigJ's message:** Hello there again guys. How was the first chapter for you? I hope a lot of you found it to be quite the first chapter. Yeah, much different than the first chapters I've had in the past. It's good to see that most of you are back from my previous stories, for those of you who are reading this that weren't here the first chapter, glad you are back. Anyway, I've got a bit of news for you all, some of you may like it, some of you may not. Just on Tuesday, I had a job interview and I got hired on the spot, so yeah, I have a job now. My orientation for my job starts next Wednesday just so you know. But regarding my job, there are four possible times I will be working once I start and at least two or three of them could affect the progression and the updating of chapters, so I've got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is (I always prefer giving the bad news first just to get it out of the way and to end with a good note) that chapters probably won't come out weekly, and by weekly, I mean every Friday. Sorry to tell you guys that. I WILL do my best to at least try to get a chapter out every Friday, but don't expect it to be guaranteed. Maybe the first few chapters (maybe like five to seven) will be out on a Friday as they're already done but after that, updates will be slower. The good news is that I am in no way going to stop posting new chapters but it's only going to be every so often, but believe me, I'm not going to stop working on this story until it's done, and that's a promise. Just, remember, one chapter every so often after chapter five, six, or seven. I love you guys so much that I will never stop writing no matter the circumstances. The only way I will stop is if I have to put it on hiatus for a certain reason, which I highly doubt will happen, but you never know. Anyway, glad to see that most of you have returned, especially some guests. This story is already getting mass reception, having 16 favorites, 18 follows, and 12 reviews after just the first chapter. Thank you guys so much. Remember, I said I love you guys (Gosh I hope I'm not sucking up to you). That's really it, so for those of you who are new to my writing, here is what I always do at the beginning of the chapter… responding to the reviews.

 **Wolves22 (Guest #!):** I'll take it.

 **Espeon44:** I don't know if I'll be able to add them to this story, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

 **76ers (Guest #2):** Don't worry, Phil won't have a huge part of this story. He is just going to be sitting at the bench listening to Serena talk for the duration of the story. Thanks for the review!

 **Armorshippingfan:** Glad you thought so. I hope so too he will come back. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** I know, 24 years does seem too long, but it's long enough to bring drama to the plot, which is what the story needs, but glad you liked the start. Thanks for the review!

 **Nexxus176:** That would be a good plot twist, but it most likely won't happen. Glad you liked the start! Thanks for the review!

 **Brig nodrm2347:** Oh man, words can't express how happy I am to see you reading again. You have been waiting the whole week? Man, someone definitely kept track time of when I'll be back. Thank you so much for being loyal! Yeah, 12 years as World Champion is a good run, but will he retain it if he returns? We'll see. You will get the answers later, I have an idea for them. No problem. You deserved to be welcomed back. You've done the same for me in the past. Phil, you'll see what he does at a later time, but I kind of like your idea. I wish I had thought of it initially. Glad to know you like my OC being a part of this story. Thank you for returning and for the review!

 **A.I (Guest #4):** Thank you!

 **Shadic4566:** Very happy to see you back! I'm so sorry that I didn't include you in at the beginning of the first chapter among the readers that returned. I deeply apologize for that. Anyway, so you would join in the people who turned on Ash when he "cheated"? I'm not going to judge you. That's your opinion, and you are entitled to it. Yeah, poor Buneary. I bet she would be devastated. Oh good, you like the appearances of the kids and who they took after. I liked that too. I liked the idea of making the kids of one gender look like the parent of the opposite gender. It seemed fitting to me. Besides, my mom says I look like her, and I can see it. Welcome back to you too! Thanks for the review!

 **TheAztecKing:** Brave it out, dude, brave it out. I know you can. Anyway, great to see you back as well. Great to know you are looking forward to this story. Yeah I am enjoying your fic and I will review it soon, don't worry. Thanks for the review!

 **Oliverqueen01:** So great to see you back! Yeah, I think it was better he went to Smackdown Live. Seems like you're pissed about Roman Reigns retiring The Undertaker. I'm not really affected by it although I am upset that Undertaker is retiring, especially after a loss at Wrestlemania. Tough to see him go out that way. But I kind of understand why he is. He is pretty old. He's fifty two for crying out loud. I like both him and Reigns but only one is still there. Just take a few breaths and it will be okay. Great to know this story has promise. Thank you for that and the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.**

Good, now where was I?

Currently, I'm sitting at a park bench all by myself. I'm wearing a long black trench coat and black gloves. I'm looking at the ground with my hands barely cuffed, seeing one little yellow dandelion at my feet just dancing around as the breeze lightly blew through it, slightly blowing my hair into my face as well. I took my right hand and brushed my hair that was covering my mouth. It was silent out here as well, that's not including the sounds of cars passing by and people conversing nearby.

I sat there… alone.

A few seconds later, a young man, who looked like he was at least in his early thirties, came over towards the bench and took a seat down next to me. He took off the black satchel that he had hung over his shoulder and slid it a few inches away from where he was sitting. He then just looked out into the open world, exactly what I was doing.

We sat there in total silence for a minute, the man not even showing the slightest bit that he wasn't alone at the bench. But I thought that too soon as he looked over at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss. I was so exhausted from walking here from work that I didn't even bother to look over at you." He said.

I raised my hand and waved it a couple of times. "Oh, no, you're fine. I totally understand why you didn't. It's no big deal." I looked down at my watch. "It's only nine in the morning and you've already worked?"

"Yeah, I work an overnight shift. I start work at eleven thirty most days which explains why I'm a little tired at the moment. I already called my wife and told her I'd stop here for a while before I came home." He responded, and then held out his hand. "I haven't introduced myself, I'm Phil."

I reached out and shook his hand. "Hello Phil, nice to meet you. My name's Serena."

He then looked at me, not in a bad way, but it looked like he was trying to think. "Serena? Hm, that name sounds familiar. Where have I heard of that?"

I let go of his hand as he continued to ponder who I was. I didn't want to tell him who I was, unless he asked. Immediately, he had a look of realization hit his face.

"Oh, I think I've heard of you. You're Serena Ketchum. You're married to Ash Ketchum aren't you?" Phil asked.

"Yes, yes I am." I responded.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I met you! How is he- oh, wait, I shouldn't ask."

"What?"

"I just realized. I don't want to bring it up. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want me to."

I waved my hand once more. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"I'm… sorry that he's been gone so long. Believe me when I say this, but I kind of miss him a lot as well." Phil stated.

Well, now I know that he misses him too. I thought to myself. But the question is… is he one of the people that shunned him… or is he one that believed in him?

"Why do you miss him so much?" I asked, wanting to get some information out of him but wanted to make it easy on him so that I wasn't stressing him out.

"It's… just… I… looked up to him a lot when I was a little boy." He answered.

Now I knew that he wasn't _one_ of those people. Thank heavens. But what were his reasons? I wanted a bit more info, so I thought I'd ask him another question.

"You looked up to him? How so?"

"Ash Ketchum was and still is the best World Champion that this world has ever had. I know that is just my opinion but I firmly believe that. He's the best ever and I'm not going to let anyone else say otherwise." Phil explained.

"I know he didn't cheat in that battle, I just do. Whoever spread that rumor is a damn moron. I still believe in him to this day, and I hope that he makes a return sometime soon."

Now I knew that he was one of the good ones, and that relieved me. It seemed as if my husband was one of this guys' role models as a kid. It's good to know that there was someone out there who never resented him, not even back then.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking… How did you two meet?" Phil asked.

"I'll be glad to tell you." I replied. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before telling him.

"Well, if you didn't know already, I met him at a summer camp when I was little. I wasn't old enough to be a trainer yet, not for a few years. I was at a summer camp ran by the late Professor Oak. I was traversing the forest all by myself mainly because I was lost. I was looking for my way back to everybody when a Poliwag scared me and I hurt my knee. Then all of a sudden, my husband came out, wrapped my knee in a handkerchief, and led me out of the forest." I explained.

"Wow! That's quite a mouthful. So you guys met when you were just little kids? That really is something." Phil commented.

"Yeah. It was at that moment I immediately started having a bit of a crush on him." I stated.

"Whoa, that's interesting. When exactly did you meet up with him again?"

"Well, a little while after Summer camp, I moved away to the Kalos region with my mom so she could further her career as a Rhyhorn racer. My mom always pressured me into following in her footsteps, but it wasn't really my thing. It wasn't until one day, seeing the Garchomp incident on tv that I set out on seeing him again, starting my own journey." I explained.

"Did you still have a crush on him then?"

"Oh definitely. I journeyed along with him and a couple other people and as we travelled, my feelings for him only grew stronger. He even helped me out when I aimed to be Kalos Queen."

"So it seemed he made big impact on you when you were young. I see why you ended up marrying him."

"Yeah. I didn't act on my feelings until we parted ways at the end of our journey together. I kissed him, letting him know how I really felt about him and that he wasn't just a friend to me."

Phil seemed to have a look of amazement on his face. This guy knew what kind of person Ash was and how he changed those lives that he surrounded.

"But… not that it's any of my business, but, when did you two… end up getting together?" Phil asked.

I was waiting for him to ask that. "Well, let me tell you."

 **Thirty six years back**

"Okay Charizard, use overheat!" Ash commanded.

"Lucario, you use aura sphere!" Said his opponent.

Charizard and Lucario both shout out their devastating attacks. Neither Pokemon were able to dodge in time (Especially Charizard, since aura sphere never misses) and both got hit greatly, and fell on the ground.

"Come on Charizard, get up!"

"Lucario, come on, stand back up!"

Both Pokemon struggled to get up, but after about fifteen seconds of using all their willpower to get up, they both were able to stand on their two feet, but barely being able to stand.

 _Charizard and Lucario were both standing on the battlefield, completely worn out after giving each other their all. It was back and forth after the halfway point, and it was clear that one of them was about to fall. The whole stadium knew that neither Pokemon could take another hit, and the battle was just about at it's end._

 _And then…_

 _Lucario closed his eyes and fell down on the warm dirt of the battleground, out for the count with Charizard still standing. The referee made the call._

" _Lucario is unable to battle, Charizard wins. That means this battle goes to the challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town." The referee announced._

" _YEAH!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs. He had finally achieved his dream of becoming a Pokemon master, as he was now the World Champion, the youngest ever, at the age of 16._

 _All of Ash's friends had rushed onto the field as Ash continued to yell to the skies, all the while on his knees, eyes closed, and arms high in the air. Stephan and Cilan were the first to get to him and picked him up onto their shoulders. The rest of his friends came and patted him on the back as they congratulated his victory. The six years of training had finally paid off and it was well deserved._

" _Congratulations Ash!" May commented._

" _You definitely deserve it! You've worked so hard for this!" Misty added._

" _You're definitely not a little kid anymore. Great job!" Iris said._

" _It must feel good to have finally achieved your dream. I'm happy for you, Ash." Bonnie exclaimed._

" _Thanks you guys. I owe a lot of it to your support. Thanks for sticking by me." Ash stated._

 **Back in present day**

"So that's how he won the World Title, huh?" Phil asked.

"Yep. That day changed for him in more ways than one." Serena replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing." She responded, a little shy to say what happened next.

"So then what happened?" Phil asked.

Serena took a deep breath before responding. "What happened next… is something that changed my life forever."

 **Returning to flashback**

Everyone was congratulating Ash on his hard fought victory. Everyone, except that one person.

Serena.

She just stood there, a few feet away from him, looking straight at him, smiling. Ash was wondering why she just stood there the entire time. But the way she was looking at him… Those blue, trusting eyes and that delicate smile that lit up the atmosphere wherever she went. He couldn't help but be taken in by her. After a few seconds, she walked away, keeping the expression on her face the same. Ash thought something over.

He had to do it.

Ten minutes later after all the congratulations were over and the stadium started emptying, Ash left the battlefield and went to go look for Serena. He was wanting to tell her something but he had no idea where she went. But just like with his training, he wasn't going to stop until he accomplished what he wanted to do. He searched every corner outside the stadium for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't said anything to him to congratulate him after him achieving his dream before walking away. Ash knew that wasn't like Serena. No one really knew it, but her opinion mattered to him more than anybody's.

Fifteen more minutes passed and he still hadn't found her. She really went somewhere that he couldn't find her, did she? Was this a test she was giving him? Was she intentionally hiding from him just so that when he found her she would tell him how she felt about his win? Nah, that sounded too corny. That DEFINITELY wasn't like Serena. But hey, you never know.

Ash got a few more congratulatory comments from fans as he searched every nook and cranny of the stadium for his childhood friend. Where could she be? He decided to look outside the stadium for her. Maybe she wandered off somewhere just to be alone for the time being.

"Now if I were Serena, where would I walk off to?" Ash said quietly to himself.

He saw a few hills about a good hundred yards away, but he saw a faint figure standing on top of the middle one. He squinted his eyes so he could get a better glimpse of who they were. Once he got a good view, he realized that it could have been Serena. He started jogging towards the hill just so he could clarify that it really was her. Once he got within fifty yards, he found out that it was her and then sped up his pace. He stopped when he was about five feet behind her.

"You came this far to see me?" She said, not even bothering to turn her head around, since she pretty much knew it was him.

"Well, you left the stadium without saying anything. I just wanted to come out here to talk to you about something." Ash stated, walking so that he was right beside her on her right.

She stood silent for a few seconds. "I'm very happy for you Ash. I'm very ecstatic that you were able to become World Champion and I was there to witness it."

"Thank you. That means so much coming from you." Ash said, not noticing the faint red blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Ash took a deep breath before answering. "You see, there's something I want to ask you, and this is something that I've been thinking about for a while."

"What is it?"

"Serena… you and I have been friends for about a decade, and I can't thank you enough for the ongoing support you've given me for the past six years, and lately… I've been catching on to something."

"And that would be?"

Ash took another deep breath. "I feel as if you have a romantic interest in me."

Serena's eyes widened, not cheeks, but face flushed a dark crimson. "Wha- what do you mean?"

A smirk played at Ash's lips. "Serena, I may have not noticed it at first, but I know you have a crush on me."

Serena sighed. "How long have you known?"

"You should know that by now, Serena. Six years ago, when you kissed me at the end of our Kalos journey, ever since then I have gotten a better understanding of what that meant." Ash explained.

Serena looked down at the ground. "I guess that might have been too early, huh? Sorry that I did that."

Ash chuckled. "Why are you sorry? I didn't say I didn't feel the same way."

The wide eyed, crimson expression returned to Serena's face. "Wait? What?"

"Serena… I think I like you back."

Serena couldn't believe she was hearing this. Was her crush really saying that? She thought she was dreaming, but she wouldn't be able to slap herself enough times to make it seem so.

But Serena wasn't going to let this opportunity pass her up. She wanted to know for sure if he felt the same way towards her the same way she felt towards him for years, so now was her chance.

She smiled at him. "Then prove it."

Ash smiled back then took a couple steps toward her. He cuffed her cheeks and leaned in and crashed his lips into hers. They both closed their eyes, enjoying the moment they were having together. They swore if anyone came up to them, they would never let that person hear the end of it.

After kissing passionately for about a minute, Ash released from the kiss. Both of them opening their eyes and having the biggest smiles that they've had to date. This moment couldn't have been better for the both of them.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Looks like both our dreams came true today."

 **Author's note:** Aww, what a sweet moment. Great way to start of the story of how it all went down. Well, I like how this story is progressing so far. I'm going to be adding a few elements to the story as it goes on. This story will basically be a retelling of past events but only all the important ones that led up to Ash's disappearance. Believe me, there are many of them. Anyway, I can tell you that the first few chapters are going to be based on the first few years of Ash and Serena's relationship and a bit of Ash's reign as World Champion. What do you think is next? Well read the preview and find out.

"So Ash, you getting ready for your first date with Serena?" Brock asked.

"Yep. Hard to believe our lives came up to this. We knew each other as little kids, who would've known that we would end up going out together?" Ash explained.

"Hey Ash, you and Serena have a history. I think it fits perfectly that you two ended up a couple." Cilan stated.

"Yeah, I guess so. But… she's done so much for me for the past decade of my life. I feel like I owe it to her that I treat her like the girl she deserves to be." Ash stated.

"I'm glad to hear that from you Ash. It's so great to see how mature you've become in the last six years." Brock said.

"Yeah. I was kind of tired of everybody saying I was dense. But at least that's in the past now."

"Ash, you weren't dense in general, you were just dense on the subject of romance. It wasn't until Serena kissed you that you got a better understanding of it." Clemont explained.

"I think you're right on that, Clemont. I'll admit that I was a pretty dense kid back then. But I think Serena opened it wide up for me, and I thank her for that." Ash said, fixing the collar on his jacket. He checked his watch, which read 6:27. "Looks like I should be heading out. Thanks for the talk guys."

"No problem, Ash." Brock, Cilan, and Clemont said in unison. Ash then grabbed his keys and headed out the door, but not before being stopped by Brock.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Knock her dead."

 **Author's note:** So it seems like that Ash and Serena's first date is up next. What will unfold first for our now canon couple? The usual things people usually do on a date? Oh, I don't think so. People have really got to change things up these days. What do you think they will do? Give it some thought and I'll see you all next week. On another note, please give me your opinion on if I should keep my OC in the story or if I should edit him out. Give that some thought as well and I'll see you all in a week, hopefully. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**

" **Silence! I kill you!"**

 **-Achmed the Dead Terrorist**


	3. What Do You Got?

**TDBigJ's message:** Sup guys? What's going on? Me? Well, I just started my job on Wednesday and let me tell you that is was pretty awesome. I am so excited to finally start working and start the next chapter of my life. That is one step completed, next step, driver's license, and then things will go from there. What about you guys? For those of you who also work, how was your week? For the rest of you… how was your week? Shouldn't have split you up into groups. Sorry, work is on my mind now, had two orientation days including today, so yeah, my life is going to be pretty occupied now. Oh, just a random note, one of my new coworkers names is Sarena (That's how she spells it), go figure! Remember what I said, now that I am working, updates will be slower, after 5-7 chapters they will at least, we'll see. I still have to edit the chapters that I have finished and I don't know if work will interfere with that, just have to wait and find out. One last thing before I start responding to reviews, I still want an opinion on if I should keep my OC in the chapters I've already finished or take him out. Only one person has given me their opinion and they say keep him in, but I want at least a few more people to give me their vote. I'm not going to set up a pole for this mainly because the story is already in progression and I don't want to put this story on hiatus until the poll is over, don't want to halt this story just for an opinion on something. With that, I will get to the next thing that I don't know how many people even read.

 **76ers (Guest #1):** Do you mean Phil or my OC?

 **Espeon44:** I agree. Ash is fair.

 **Wolves22 (Guest #2):** Glad you do!

 **Armorshippingfan:** I like that he has some fans left too. I thought it'd be better fitting for the story if not everybody turned on him. Thanks for the review!

 **Shadic4566:** It still felt wrong to not mention you in the first chapter but I'm glad it doesn't bother you. Oh, so you wouldn't be mad at Ash (Man, I've got to stop reading things wrong)? You would just be ashamed at the people who turned on him? Gotcha! Yeah, it was now time to mention the kiss at the end of XY&Z, felt good to put that in. Glad to know you like how they ended up getting together last chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Brig nodrm2347:** Yeah that scene last chapter would have fitted pretty well in the anime if Ash won the Kalos league, I agree. I like that Phil is in this story too as you said, Serena doesn't have to talk to herself any more. I'm going to be original with their date this chapter, I've got some ideas, maybe just a couple. Yeah, I'm implying that "knock her dead" will mean "amaze her", you've got the right idea. The kids will come in around chapter 6 or 7 which is about the same time my OC will come in, only if you guys want him though, but I see you do. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** Hey man, good to see you again. The next chapter will be out within the next few days (Man I hope I can keep my promise this time). Thanks for the review!

 **TheAztecKing:** Good to know you like it, glad I made your day. Thanks for the review!

 **Darkaura808:** Hey, very happy to see you back. Thanks for giving me such a huge welcome back, I appreciate it. I'm also happy you've been anticipating my story for a few weeks, makes me happy that one of my readers is eagerly waiting for me to come back. Oh dude, don't worry, if you thought this was a sequel to Against All Odds but found out it wasn't, I'm sorry if I lead you the wrong way. Happy to know you like the plot of the story. I thought I would go in a different direction for this story. Rather than it being mainly drama and romance, I wanted to change it up a bit and do drama and hurt/comfort but all the while keeping the romance intact (Can't forget that). Anyway, happy to see you back and I hope you enjoy the ride. Thanks for the review!

 **Oliverqueen01:** Yeah, I know. Undertaker is going to be missed, he was my fifth favorite. Good to know you don't hate Roman. He's my third favorite behind Cena and Ambrose. I agree that he is a good in ring performer, I just wish people didn't boo him all the time. Happy to know you're enjoying the story. Ash will definitely knock her socks off. I'm not going to do anything too big, just something different. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.**

"Aw, I may be a guy but… aw." Phil commented.

"What did you think?" Serena asked.

"I think that was perfect. It was great to see how you two ended up getting together. Believe me, I wish the story of how I met my wife was like that." Phil stated.

"How will your wife feel if she heard you say that?" Serena asked.

"Eh, the most I'll probably get is a nudge. Like you, my wife's not one to get angry that often. She's a very calm person, but yeah, she probably wouldn't like me saying that."

"At least she's calm. The most I would ever do to my husband is just playfully slap him on the back. I'm not the violent type."

"Looks like you got the better end of the deal." Phil joked. The two of them shared a laugh. To Serena, it felt good to laugh again. It had been a while since she laughed a good one. Yeah, she has laughed since Ash left, but none of them were as good as before when he was around.

"I find it hard to believe that Ash left a good a woman as you when he went into disappearance." Phil commented.

"Thanks that means a lot." She replied.

"I'm very happy to see you're still loyal to him especially after so long, shows how genuine of a person you are." Phil stated.

"I'm glad you think so." Serena responded and then held up her left hand, which revealed the wedding ring that still kept it's presence on Serena's ring finger after twenty four years. "That's why I wear this to this day."

"Whoa, gee, even though he's been gone for so long you still wear your wedding ring?"

"Well, hey, I'm still married to the guy. No chance in hell am I ever taking this off." Serena stated, boldly committing herself to someone she still believed in… and loved.

A smile played at Phil's lips. "Ash is a very lucky guy. It brings me joy that he had a wife who gave her heart out to him and still does. It seems that there are a shortage of people these days just like you."

"That's the most sincere thing someone's said to me in years." Serena smiled. "It seems your wife's a lucky one too."

"I try."

"It's good to know that there is somebody out there who still believes in my husband after so long. For a while I thought I was the only one besides my friends that still did, but am I glad I was wrong." Serena explained.

"I may not be the only one. I've got a couple of sisters who looked up to him too, he was their main reason for going out on their journeys when they turned ten." Phil stated.

"Maybe I was just jumping to conclusions, something I shouldn't do, or anybody for that matter."

"Now that I know, what else happened after that?"

"After Ash and I got together?"

"Yeah."

"Well, probably the most obvious one… we went on our first date."

"How did that turn out?"

"I can tell you that. Here's how it went…"

 **Thirty six years earlier**

Ash sat there on the couch in the lobby of the Pokemon center, hands in his pockets, looking at the ground, looking deep in thought. There was something that he was thinking over, and he wanted to make sure he was ready, and more importantly, making sure she was going to be ready. Pikachu looked up at his trainer, who he knew was trying to make a crucial decision. He hopped up onto the bench and looked up at Ash. Ash caught sight of his longtime partner and wondered why he came up near him.

Ash rubbed the top of Pikachu's head. "Trying to help me out, buddy?"

"Pika pi." Pikachu responded, nodding his head.

"Thanks buddy, but this is a decision I need to think about on my own. I appreciate your support though." Ash stated.

But then, Serena came through the front doors of the Pokemon center. She apparently was looking for him. Once Ash saw her, he now knew he had to make a decision at THAT moment, because he saw her coming towards him, and the first thing that came to mind was that as soon as she approached him, she would sit down next to him. And wouldn't you know, she did.

"Well, it's now or never Ash. You have to do it." He thought to himself.

"I found you finally. I've been looking all over for you for the past forty minutes." She said.

"I'm surprised it took you that long. This is usually the first place people look when they look for me." Ash stated.

"Yeah, that is correct. But I guess I didn't have that come to mind first off." Serena said. "Now I feel like an idiot."

"Don't be hard on yourself. You're never an idiot in my eyes." Ash said. "But now that you're here, I want to ask you something."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I've been thinking for the past week since my win. Since that moment we had together shortly afterwards, my mind's been on something, and I've been thinking that I think that I'm ready to give it a shot."

"Well, what is it?"

"Serena, will you… perhaps… like to go out… on Friday?"

Now Serena definitely thought she was dreaming. Her longtime crush had just asked her out on a date. Was this actually happening? She noticed his physical position and the way he was just saying those words. He was sounding nervous as hell. Serena always thought she would be the one that would be nervous (Well, she actually was at the moment) but he was the one that was. Serena found that cute about him. The moment that was happening before her was exactly how she imagined it. Well, not exactly but pretty close.

"Ash, are… are… are you… asking me out?"

Ash took a deep breath. "Yes… yes I am." He looked her straight in the eyes. "So, what is it?"

Serena took no time to think on this because she already knew her answer. She slammed into a hug with him. "Yes! Yes, of course I will."

Ash hugged her back. "Great! Glad to hear that." She released from the hug about thirty seconds later. She knew she had to release before it got too weird. "So, I'll see you Friday then?"

She nodded her head. "Without a doubt." She got up from her seat.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Wear something nice."

 **End of flashback**

"So he was the one that asked you out?" Phil asked.

"Yeah. I always thought that I would be the one that asked him out, but it worked out nicely and he did it first." Serena explained.

"So, what did he plan for you two during the date? Did you guys go to dinner? Movie? What?"

"Well actually, he went above and beyond and changed things up."

"What do you mean?"

"We actually did things differently. We did things besides the obvious of what people would usually do on dates." She explained.

"How did your date pan out?" He asked.

"Well, I remember that date perfectly."

 **Return to flashback**

Ash was getting dressed up for his first date with Serena. He was wearing a black jacket over a white turtleneck, black jeans, and gray slip ons. He sprayed cologne on and then applied some aftershave under his chin. Brock, Cilan, and Clemont were there, helping him prepare for the date. Ash looked at himself in the mirror again, making sure nothing was out of line.

Brock, Cilan, and Clemont had been giving him advice for the past half hour regarding to what he should do during the date and how to look the part. Brock's advice was the best as Brock knew the most about romance and also the fact that Brock was the only one that had a girlfriend.

"So Ash, you getting ready for your first date with Serena?" Brock asked.

"Yep. Hard to believe our lives came up to this. We knew each other as little kids, who would've known that we would end up going out together?" Ash explained.

"Hey Ash, you and Serena have a history. I think it fits perfectly that you two ended up a couple." Cilan stated.

"Yeah, I guess so. But… she's done so much for me for the past decade of my life. I feel like I owe it to her that I treat her like the girl she deserves to be." Ash stated.

"I'm glad to hear that from you Ash. It's so great to see how mature you've become in the last six years." Brock said.

"Yeah. I was kind of tired of everybody saying I was dense. But at least that's in the past now."

"Ash, you weren't dense in general, you were just dense on the subject of romance. It wasn't until Serena kissed you that you got a better understanding of it." Clemont explained.

"I think you're right on that, Clemont. I'll admit that I was a pretty dense kid back then. But I think Serena opened it wide up for me, and I thank her for that." Ash said, fixing the collar on his jacket. He checked his watch, which read 6:27. "Looks like I should be heading out. Thanks for the talk guys."

"No problem, Ash." Brock, Cilan, and Clemont said in unison. Ash then grabbed his keys and headed out the door, but not before being stopped by Brock.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Knock her dead."

Ash smiled at his best friend and left his apartment. Brock, Cilan, and Clemont stayed at his apartment for the night. It was okay with Ash. They did it on a constant basis which didn't bother Ash. Ash took a deep breath and started on his way.

 **Twenty five minutes later**

Ash looked at his watch. It was about twelve minutes before their date and Ash was only a couple of minutes away from their first destination. He had called Serena about ten minutes ago and said she would be on her way within five minutes. Seeing as how it had been twenty five minutes since he left and ten minutes since he called her it should have been five minutes since she left, so he assumed he was ahead of her at this point.

He finally reached his destination, which was the boardwalk. They wanted a nice place to meet up and thought this would be the best. Ash checked his watch once again and then put his hands in his pockets and looked around. There were a few people who were walking past him or standing a few feet away.

He stood there waiting for about five more minutes and she had yet to arrive. Pikachu had not come along as he knew that Ash had to go on this date alone because this was his lady and she had to come first at the moment. He had put Pikachu ahead for years but it was time to change things up for once.

All of a sudden, someone's hand had covered his eyes, obscuring his vision. He knew all too well who it was. He gently grabbed the person's hand and removed it so he could see again. He turned around to see Serena there.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny." He said as she was giggling to herself.

Ash looked at her and she appeared to be wearing a gray long sleeve dress that went down to her knees and she was wearing white sandals and wearing a silver and gold cross shaped pendant and gold diamond earrings. Ash thought she was absolutely breathtaking.

"So… you ready?" He asked.

"Yeah. Couldn't be more." She replied. "Where do you plan to take me first?"

"Come with me, I'll show you." He grabbed her hand and started walking the direction he was facing.

First, Ash thought they would do a little sightseeing. Take her to see a couple places (The ones he knew she liked). Five minutes later they arrived at a spot where there was a building which was relatively new but Serena had fallen in love with since it first opened. It was a twenty story high tower that had colored lights every five floors, each with a different color. Serena thought it was beautiful, Ash thought it was a good looking building, something even he was interested in, although not as much as Serena.

"Don't you think that is incredibly gorgeous Ash?"

Ash nodded his head. "Mm hm."

They stood there for a few more minutes gazing at the building. There was another building around town that Ash knew Serena liked and it was not too far off. He asked her if she was done looking at the multi-colored building and when she said she was, he grabbed her hand again and pulled her along.

A few minutes later they reached another building. It was a building that was at least twenty yards long but had a shining Dragonair at the top, the pearl of the figure glittering like a disco ball.

"What do you think?" Ash asked.

"I love it!" Serena responded. "How did you know I liked these places?"

"Hey, I listen and pay attention. I know what you like."

Serena smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"Come on, Serena. I've got another place for us to go."

Ash took Serena to a dance hall. Ash took off his jacket once they got in there so he could dance without a little bit of interference of his jacket flapping around while they danced.

As the dance went on, Serena was surprised to see that Ash's dancing had improved from when they were ten. Sure, during that dance party from a long time ago he improved a little but it was a lot better now in Serena's eyes. Had he been secretly taking dance lessons without her knowledge? That seemed unlikely but you never know.

"Wow, Ash, you're dancing… so gracefully. What happened in the last six years?" Serena asked.

"I've just been getting help from a few of my friends, female more specifically, teaching me how to dance better. I know I was a sloppy dancer at first but after a few lessons from Dawn, May, and maybe once with my mom I learned how to dance better." Ash explained.

"Seems like they taught you a lot, didn't they?" She asked. She then smiled a bit. "How good do you think they taught you?"

A smirk then appeared on Ash's face. "How's this?"

He then tightened his grip and spun them around one hundred eighty degrees, twirled her a few times, and then dipped her and pulled her back up, Serena barely being able to get a grip on Ash's back. Boy, was she surprised.

"Let's just say I've seen more than enough." Serena stated. Ash's smirk returned and he closed his eyes, seeing as he proved something.

After that, Ash took her to a couple more places, one to get something to snack on and one that tickled Serena's fancy, a dress shop. He was not into that but he knew she liked it. He was making it about her tonight.

Now that they were done with all that, they returned to the boardwalk where they started the night but went to the end of the docks and looked out into the midnight blue, sparkling ocean, with the reflection of the night moon luminescent on the waters.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I've always liked this sight. Just shows how stunning the horizon can be."

Ash looked over at her. The moon was now illuminating her features, making her seem more beautiful than she already was.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" He asked.

"It was an amazing night Ash. I'm glad we did what you planned tonight. It was totally different than usual. Thank you for that." She replied.

"Anything for you. I wanted our first date to be one that we could look back on decades from now. Something we can tell our future kids. If we get that far."

"I hope we do get that far." Serena stated.

"I just wish I knew if we will, and how." Ash said.

"I bet you know how." She said.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should." He then turned so that he was now facing her. She looked to her right so that she was seeing him. "What?"

Ash grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss. This took Serena by surprise but she immediately melted into the kiss. The kiss only lasted for about ten seconds before their lips parted ways.

"Serena?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we will get that far."

She smiled. "Yeah, I think so too."

 **Author's note:** That seemed like a very good date to me, but what about you guys? I really think that people ought to switch things up these days, be original. Come on people, spark your creativity a bit, will ya? Okay, I better stop before I go on one of my psychotic rants, trust me, thinks will go apesh**. All right, all right, let's get to the preview, before anything else happens.

Ash sat there on his couch, waiting for Serena to arrive. He had called her over because he wanted to ask her something, and this was important. He wanted to take their relationship to the next level, but not in the way you think.

Ash checked his watch (Yes he wears one now), it read 1:37 in the afternoon. He had called her about a half an hour ago but she lived at least fifteen minutes away. Maybe she needed time to get herself ready, but knowing Serena, she probably didn't need to. She was the neatest girl he knew.

"Come on, Serena, any time now." He said to himself. Pikachu was sitting there near his feet, knowing about the whole situation. He was eagerly anticipating this as well, seeing as it was his buddy's girlfriend. Ash looked down at Pikachu and rubbed his head. Pikachu was a few years older as well but still had the young heart he had when he first became Ash's Pokemon six years ago.

Jiggling of the door handle soon emitted. Ash then realized that the door was locked. He got up and unlocked the door, letting Serena in.

"Hey, you called me over?"

"Yeah, there's something I wanted to ask you, and it's very important. Come sit down."

The two of them went over to Ash's couch and sat down. Serena brushed her hair behind her ears. "So, what is it?"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck before starting. "Well, you see… We've been dating for a while now and I feel like there is something we could do. Something that could advance our relationship."

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" She asked.

"Well… it's just… I…" He started but was getting nervous at each passing word.

"Are you sure you're ready to tell me?" Serena asked, clearly seeing Ash's nerves kicking in.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure." He replied. He took a deep breath, which eased his nerves.

"Serena… I want you to move in with me."

 **Author's note-2:** So it seems like they are moving in together now, what else will unravel? Will they have any struggles before and/or after? We'll see in one short week. I've got some things to do, with this story and work. No, really, I'm serious. The one time I actually decide to be serious. Now, I'll see you all really soon, only seven days away, until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**

" **Woman, I am the cavalry!"**

 **-Luke Hobbs, Furious 7**


	4. It's My Life

**TDBigJ's message:** Hey guys. Another week, another chapter to be released. This chapter I may warn you may be a little boring but I feel like it needs to be a topic for a chapter just so that I don't skip anything that I feel like I could have added but in the future I thought I should have. Don't want that feeling. Anyway, how's it going? How was school for those of you who did? How was work for those of you trying to make a living? For those of you who don't do either, just, how was your week? For me, just going to my job, finishing up my training and then going out to start my job, that's basically what I've been up to. I have to work this weekend so at least I know that my weekend's booked but I'm not sure about all of next week, that's still up in the air. The working world really is something isn't it. Looks like I've got a lot heading my way for the coming years. Like I've said in the last couple of chapters, I've only got about 1-3 more chapters coming out on a weekly basis until my job actually starts interfering with the progression of this story. I just want to keep you guys up on that just so you know what's going on. It's going to be hard to keep this story going and focusing on my job at the same time but like I said before, I'll manage. I'm pretty sure it's the same for you who work and write stories at the same time. That should do it for now, let's respond to the reviews first, and then let's get this chapter rolling.

 **76ers (Guest #1):** Okay, gotcha!

 **Espeon44:** Lose him what? Glad you liked it!

 **Wolves22 (Guest #2):** Glad you agree!

 **Rocki. :** Sorry if it was too long. I don't like to talk about myself too much. Thanks for the review!

 **Brig nodrm2347:** Good to know you agree. Yeah, that seems to make sense. If you know someone well enough you can do something original. Glad to see you liked what Ash did last chapter. I know nothing about dates since I've never been on one but at I should at least have an understanding of them. Yeah, I'm taking their relationship step by step, and each one is what most people would do in a relationship. Yeah, I hope that people read my responses to their reviews, even though it doesn't bother me if they don't, but it's good to know you do. Thank God you know the quote I used for the last chapter. That's personally one of my favorite quotes from the entire movie franchise. It's from a badass moment and plus it's said by my favorite actor, so yeah, glad to know you liked that one. No, I haven't seen the new movie yet but I really want to go see it. I heard last night that some people said it was really good. The Fast and the Furious series is my absolute favorite. Thanks for the review!

 **Armorshippingfan:** Great to know you liked their date last chapter! Thanks for the review!

 **Shadic4566:** I'm happy you loved it, it seems everyone did. You liked the ending of Ash saying they will have children? Great! I guess that's not really a spoiler since it's already revealed they had kids together. Hey, I might throw a Pikachu and Buneary moment in this story. The furry little guy deserves love too like you said. Thanks for the review!

 **TheAztecKing:** Great to know you loved it. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** Yep. It seems so. The next chapter of the crossover fic, almost here (Man, I don't want to let you down again). Thanks for the review!

 **Oliverqueen01:** Yeah, I agree. They need to book Roman a lot better than they have been. The feud with Braun Strowman is going on too long (and too brutal). Yeah. The Undertaker is forever a legend like you said. Twenty six and a half years is a damn phenomenal run. Looking forward to Nakamura's match? I wish I could watch it but, you know already. Ha! Love that frying pan part you brought up. I don't think she would do that but it's still funny. Good to know you liked the chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.**

"Wow, gee, that was a totally different scene than I had in mind." Phil stated.

"Can't say that I'm surprised." Serena replied.

"But hey, that was certainly an original date he had planned. He must have been an expert on romance if he did things differently." Phil stated.

"Nah, he wasn't really an expert at the time." Serena commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when we travelled Kalos together, he was pretty dense to the fact that I liked him. In fact, he probably didn't even know what romance was before we parted ways at the end of our journey." Serena explained.

"Oh, so he was not smart at all? But… I don't get it."

"Well, like I said, I wouldn't have called him an expert, but I wouldn't say he wasn't smart at it."

"Huh?"

"He wasn't the total know-it-all about romance at the time but he was smart enough about it to "wow" me a bit during our date. I admit, he did surprise me a lot." Serena stated.

"So not very smart, but not dense either?"

"Correct. Believe me, as he got older he got more mature on the idea of romance."

"How mature?"

"Really "mature." She said while waving her hands backwards.

"More mature, huh? In what ways?" Phil asked.

"I would tell you what kinds of ways, but I feel as if it isn't appropriate for this discussion." Serena said, blushing a little bit.

"Probably would be best. It's none of my business anyway. But I can pretty much guess by your cheeks turning red." Phil said. "Anyway, what happened after your first date?"

"Well, for the next few months, he took me out on lots more dates, not one of them being the same as another, but after about six months of dating, the next big thing happened."

"What would that be?"

"That I can tell you."

 **Thirty five and a half years earlier**

Ash started making his way home. He and Serena just had another date and it was their fourth this month, and the month was only half over.

But a few minutes after they parted ways, Ash had been thinking about something, and it was something that probably would improve their relationship. But he had to think it over clearly so that he wouldn't complicate it or cause a roadblock for the two of them.

What he had been thinking about was…

He wanted her to move in with him.

It had been on his mind for a few days now. The two of them had gone on so many dates in just a half a year, they went on at least four or five dates a month, six if it was a good month. They didn't want to overdo it so that's why they kept it to a maximum of six in a given month.

Back to the topic at hand, they had been on so many dates already that he felt like asking her to move in with him had been long overdue. He felt that it should have been after at least their tenth date but his mind was on other things at the time. He didn't remember what those were because that was a long while ago, but it wasn't important so that took a backseat for the time being.

This sort of thing had been on his mind in the last couple of dates but he felt that he was unsure plus he didn't think it over really that much before then, but now he was sure, but thing was, was it too early or was it too late? Only time was going to decide this one.

Ash had been getting more mature as a person lately, and so was Serena. He had noticed. Over the last six years dating back to their Kalos journey Ash had realized how much of an amazing person Serena had become. She went from a girl trying to prevent herself from becoming a Rhyhorn racer like her mom to a girl who had transformed herself into an accomplished human being, and Ash found that attractive about her. He knew all about her personality and that's what drove him to decide to ask her to be his girlfriend, and boy did he relish that decision. Didn't even regret it, not in the least.

But now was the choice that would make the next big moment in their relationship. But question was, was it time? There was only one answer…

Yes, yes it was.

He was going to go home and get a good night's sleep and then in the morning he thought he would call her and ask her to come over and then he would ask the question.

But now, he just wanted to get some sleep, he was pretty tired.

 **The next morning**

Ash sat there on his couch, waiting for Serena to arrive. He had called her over because he wanted to ask her something, and this was important. He wanted to take their relationship to the next level, but not in the way you think.

Ash checked his watch (Yes he wears one now), it read 1:37 in the afternoon. He had called her about a half an hour ago but she lived at least fifteen minutes away. Maybe she needed time to get herself ready, but knowing Serena, she probably didn't need to. She was the neatest girl he knew.

"Come on, Serena, any time now." He said to himself. Pikachu was sitting there near his feet, knowing about the whole situation. He was eagerly anticipating this as well, seeing as it was his buddy's girlfriend. Ash looked down at Pikachu and rubbed his head. Pikachu was a few years older as well but still had the young heart he had when he first became Ash's Pokemon six years ago.

Jiggling of the door handle soon emitted. Ash then realized that the door was locked. He got up and unlocked the door, letting Serena in.

"Hey, you called me over?"

"Yeah, there's something I wanted to ask you, and it's very important. Come sit down."

The two of them went over to Ash's couch and sat down. Serena brushed her hair behind her ears. "So, what is it?"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck before starting. "Well, you see… We've been dating for a while now and I feel like there is something we could do. Something that could advance our relationship."

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" She asked.

"Well… it's just… I…" He started but was getting nervous at each passing word.

"Are you sure you're ready to tell me?" Serena asked, clearly seeing Ash's nerves kicking in.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure." He replied. He took a deep breath, which eased his nerves.

"Serena… I want you to move in with me."

Serena then gasped and covered her mouth. "What did you just say?"

"I want you to move in with me."

Serena was surprised by this sudden question. What brought this up? Was he trying to progress their relationship and thought this was the next step?

"Did you seriously just ask what I thought you asked?" She asked, still unsure of what was going on.

"Look Serena, we've been dating for a while and we've gone on numerous dates and I think I should've asked this a while ago. I feel as if we need to make the next step if we want to have any future together." Ash explained. "So what do you say?"

Only simple words came to Serena's mind at the moment. She still wanted to ask some more questions but there weren't really any that could seem important, or get information she didn't already know. But she knew her answer, it was as clear as day.

"I would love to Ash." Serena replied then crashed into a hug with Ash. "I'm ready to take the next step."

Ash returned the hug. "I'm glad you think so."

The hug lasted for another ten seconds before Serena decided to let go. "So, when would you be most comfortable for me to move in?"

"I was thinking probably this weekend. Since it's basically Tuesday now, that gives us four days to prepare." Ash replied. "Is that okay with you?"

"Fine with me. I was just wondering when it would be okay with you, because I don't want it to the point that I'm moving in tomorrow so that you're feeling that we're rushing it."

"I understand. So Saturday then?"

She nodded. "Saturday."

 **Four days later (Saturday)**

Ash and Serena were carrying some of Serena's items into Ash's apartment. They even got some of their friends to help. Brock, Cilan, Dawn, Misty, and Clemont had agreed to help them. It was pretty easy for all of them, except Clemont, who at the moment was carrying a lamp and was slouching over to the point that the bottom of the lamp was at the level of his knees.

"Come on, Clemont, pick up the pace." Brock said.

"I'm trying but this lamp is so freaking heavy. It feels as if I'm carrying a cinderblock." Clemont responded.

"Clemont, come on. I was carrying a lamp like that five minutes ago and it felt as light as a feather." Brock replied.

"Well, you're probably stronger than me."

Brock sighed. "Maybe you should go to a gym Clemont, and I'm not talking like a Pokemon gym like the one you run."

"Probably a sign that I should." Clemont stated. "I've been like this for years."

"Guys, a little less chit chat and a little more carry stuff in." Ash said.

"Sorry Ash. But I have a feeling Brock is right about this." Clemont stated.

"I have no complaints about your physique, Clemont. You're perfectly fine the way you are." Ash commented.

"Thanks Ash, but I'll take Brock's words to heart and improve myself."

Ash patted Clemont on the back. "Come on, buddy, there's still some more stuff to move in. I'll let you deal with the light stuff."

"I've got you, Ash."

Ash and Clemont still had that bond that they had when they travelled with each other over six years ago. Clemont in a way looked up to Ash and now for a good reason now that he was World Champion. Of course, when they travelled together, Clemont was a gym leader and Ash was a simple Pokemon trainer, so he was higher at the time, but now Ash was and Clemont felt like he had a right to do so.

They continued to move in more items for another hour. Most of it was already moved in as they had been doing it for about three hours so they were covering a lot of ground in that much time. Ash, Brock, and Cilan dealt with the heavier items as well as the lighter items along with Serena, Dawn, Misty, and Clemont. There were only a handful of items to be unloaded left, and they felt like they could be done in the next half hour, and then it was time to arrange everything. They had to unload Brock's, Cilan's, and Ash's cars and a few things from Misty's as well. A few of them had agreed to bring their cars to Ash and Serena would have more room to put some of Serena's items. Serena didn't have a lot as she was only sixteen but there was enough to fill each car up at least once, well except for Brock's. Only a couple of boxes were in his but there was at least four small one's in the other's cars, but hardly any of it was valuable stuff, just clothes and a few feminine items like hairdryers, curling irons, and a few bottles of perfume (She didn't wear a lot at one time but hey, a girl needed to smell good didn't she?).

After everything was brought in, it was now time to arrange everything. They had to rearrange some of Ash's items to make room for some of Serena's. Ash knew it had to happen so it didn't bother him. He was now at the part in their relationship where he had to make compromises, something he had to get used to, whether it was up to him or not.

Misty took a lamp out of a box. It was a beige type of lamp that Serena had in her room back at her mom's place. Serena told Misty to put it in Ash's room (Well, Ash AND Serena's room now) and that she would deal with it later.

"Hey Serena, where do you want this nightstand?" Cilan asked.

"Just put it in the bedroom like the lamp. That's what it's going to sit on top of anyway." Serena replied.

As Cilan put the lamp in the correct room, they had gotten everything else out of the boxes and started putting them in the rooms Serena wanted them to put them in, with having to ask Ash if it was okay to put them in that certain room.

It took them about a couple of hours to place everything according to Ash and Serena's preferences. Surprisingly it took them that long. They thought it would take longer but since Serena barely had anything (Valuable at least), it didn't take them that long to place everything. But after everything had been taken care of, Brock and Clemont had already planned to go do something soon so they had to leave. Everyone else had to leave too because they either had to go home and do something with their family or just go home because they were tired for helping Serena move in.

After everyone left, Ash and Serena plopped down on Ash's couch. It had been a heck of a move but they were also both tired from moving around so much.

"Man, I could go to sleep and not wake up until tomorrow morning if I have to, even if I have to skip dinner." Ash stated.

"I'm with you on that." Serena replied.

Serena slowly looked over at Ash. "I'm glad that we're living together now."

Ash smiled. "Me too."

"Thanks for asking me to move in with you. I'm glad that we're moving forward with our relationship."

"Yeah, same here." Ash said as Serena yawned.

"I wanted to wait a good amount of time until I was ready for us to move in together. I think after a few months of going out it was about time."

"Good to hear that you think so." Serena said as she laid her head down on the arm of the couch.

"I honestly think this was a big move for us. I never thought that growing up that we would end up living together, but I'm happy that we are. What do you thi-"

Ash looked over at Serena who had her eyes closed and was now falling asleep. She probably wasn't in a deep sleep quite yet since he knew it had happened in the last few seconds, but he could guess that she was too tired to move. So he got up, picked her up off the couch bridal style, and carried her to their room. Luckily, the comforter was pulled back so he just placed her gently on the bed, pulled the comforter over her, and kissed her on the cheek. He walked over to the doorway before stopping and saying something under his breath.

"Sleep tight, babe."

 **Author's note:** Looks like they are all settled in. Oh boy that was a big step for them. Way for Ash to make the move, make him seem like a more mature guy. That is really one of my aims for this story. I want Ash to mature more on the subject of romance and as a person in general. Heck, I might even have Serena mature at some points. Them moving in, it's only the first fraction of the whole story Serena is going to be telling. There is much more to be told. I would tell you but that would be spoiling the story and I don't want that. You guys might want it, I don't know, but I sure as hell don't. Sorry if I come across as selfish but in this case I don't really have a choice. I'm pretty sure you guys want to find out as we go along rather than knowing now, otherwise the story won't feel as exciting when a certain part comes around. There is something I just wanted to get out of the way. And another thing, Sorry if this chapter seemed boring. Moving in pretty much is and I couldn't think of anything else to put in. Let's get to the preview, I'm ALSO pretty sure you guys are waiting for it.

"So, let me ask you another question." Phil stated.

"Go ahead."

"Was there, anything else that he did that lifted you off your feet?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did he shock you in any way by doing something… out of nowhere?"

Serena then thought of something that did in fact happen. "Oh, yeah, the next thing that he did… was something that made a childhood dream of mine come true."

 **Thirty two years earlier**

Ash had just won against a member of the Hoenn elite four, and he swept the floor with him too. That was how most battles were for Ash these days, him winning pretty damn easily. Some were even by a landslide. About three of Ash's friends had gathered onto the battlefield but the rest of them had decided to stand at the entrance to the battlefield and wait for him to exit when everything was done. A reporter came up to Ash to get his thoughts of the battle.

"Hey Ketchum, great battle out there. What helped you win the battle out there today?" The reporter asked.

"You know, just the usual. Keep busy with your Pokemon, train them the best you can so they know their true power. And above all else… never give up until it's over." Ash explained.

"How about your opponent?"

"He did put up a great fight. I admit there were some times where I may have struggled and he bested me, but overall, he was a fierce opponent."

"You heard it people. The words of wisdom and empowerment from our World Champ. Ketchum, anything else you want to say?"

Ash closed his eyes and smirked. "There is actually one more thing I want to say, and it's more of a question, and I want to hear the whole world to hear it."

"Okay, go ahead." Ash then turned around towards Serena and took a few steps up to her since she was standing right behind him. Ash knew this was the right moment, and it was time, and he knew it too.

It was time to nut up or shut up.

 **Author's note-2:** Ooh, do I smell a… no, wait, that will spoil everything. Don't want that like I said before. What is Ash planning to do after his most recent victory? A party? A get together? The guys racing around Pallet in just their underwear? Oh, geez, I hope it's not the last of the three, that would just be plain weird. But I'm certain it won't be, that's not something Ash would plan for people to do. What Pokemon character would even think of something like that? Maybe Barry perhaps. Now that I've gotten that taken care of, I've got something else to say. Since I've barely gotten any responses from having my OC staying in this story or kept out it looks like I will have to go with the one person who gave me their opinion on him, and that vote was to keep him in, so that's what I'll do, but he won't come in until chapter six or seven, I hope you guys warm up to him, and remember, he's related to one of the characters. I want to give him a shot and I hope it's worth it. Now you'll just have to wait and see what happens next. It's going to be a big one but that's all I'm going to point out. What will it be? Well, you're just going to have to wait until next Friday. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**

" **Ha! Boom baby!"**

 **-Kuzco, The Emperor's New Groove**


	5. Born To Be My Baby

**TDBigJ's message:** *Scratching like hell* Holy cow! Freaking irritating! No matter what I do, it keeps itching. *Looks at the audience* Oh, sorry, was I disturbing you a bit? Or a lot? Whatever, I need to keep this more secret. Anyway, what's up people? Had a good week? Bad? Either way, a new chapter is here to make it better, because I'm pretty sure it won't make it worse, unless it's a terrible chapter. Oh boy I hope it doesn't make it worse, I will go to hell if it does. Oh, was that and exaggeration? I'm pretty sure it was. For my week, well, I just worked two seven hour shifts this past weekend and an eight hour shift on Tuesday, but at least I had Monday, Wednesday, and yesterday off. Had to work a four and a half hour shift today, but I was able to get this chapter out regardless. Just remember what I said the last few chapters, either after this chapter, next chapter, or two chapters from now, due to my job, updates will be slower, meaning not every Friday like I have been doing since my first story In or Out, but I will do my best to get them out every Friday, but it won't be guaranteed, but I will still be fully committed to this story, don't you worry. Well, there's the message part of the chapter taken care of, let's get to the responding of reviews (Reading optional).

 **76ers (Guest #1):** Interesting.

 **Wolves22 (Guest #2):** You betcha!

 **Espeon44:** I know right?

 **Armorshippingfan:** Great to know you liked it! I agree, it's good seeing the both of them being mature, especially Ash. Thanks for the review!

 **Brig nodrm2347:** Yeah, it wasn't easy putting in important moments when it comes to writing about people moving in, but hey, I managed didn't I? Yeah, other characters from the anime are going to have some parts in this story. Yeah, I kind of figured someone would know what the next chapter would be about, but like I said before, an obvious preview doesn't hurt once in a while. Oops! I'm sorry that I didn't put a quote in when I posted the chapter, totally slipped my mind. But don't worry, I put one in this past Saturday. It's a little short but I think some people will know it. Thanks for liking the chapter and the review!

 **Shadic4566:** Glad you liked it! Good to know you also read these review responses. Yeah, like I said above, sorry for not putting a quote in when I posted the last chapter, but I put one in there this past weekend because I couldn't bear the thought of going a chapter without a quote (I know, look at me). Seems like you might know what this chapter is about as well. Yeah, I agree, Barry would probably be the only character in the anime that would do something like that. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** Great to know you like the quote from the last chapter, probably the best quote from the movie. The crossover fic will be updated in the next week (For Pete's sake I need to keep my promise this time). Thanks for the review!

 **Darkaura808:** Oh dude, don't worry about missing a chapter, as long as you make your way back, or you can go at your own pace, it doesn't bother me. Glad you liked the date chapter. I tried my best to make it different. Didn't expect them to do that last chapter, huh? Well, trying to keep the important things in. Thanks for the comments. It makes my day when someone tells me I'm one of the few people that makes reading stories worthwhile on this site, thank you so much for your committed support and the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.**

"So yeah, that's how we moved in together." Serena stated.

"Oh, well, that was interesting." Phil replied.

As the last part of that story finished being told, another person came by the bench to take a break. Seeing as how Serena and Phil were already occupying the bench and they felt that they didn't want to be rude to the two of them, just stood next to Phil on his side of the bench. The person, a girl, who looked like she was at least a teenager, noticed the two of them in a conversation position.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" She asked.

"Oh no, you're fine. We finished the last part of our discussion anyway." Serena said.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. Didn't want to be rude or anything." She took a closer look at Serena. "Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"I'm not sure. Have we crossed paths before?" Serena replied.

"You know Ash Ketchum, the World Champion that went off the face of the Earth twenty four years ago?" Phil asked her.

"Yeah, I remember him. My dad always told us stories and showed us videos of him battling." Then, a look of realization hit her face. "Oh, now I recall, you're his wife, aren't you?"

"Yes I am." Serena replied.

"Holy cow! It's hard to believe that I actually got to meet you. How have things been lately?" She asked.

"I'm fine, but I could be better." Serena responded.

The girl held out her hand. "I'm Emma. Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum."

Serena reached out to shake Emma's hand, but she had a sense of surprise going on in her mind. The girl just called her Mrs. Ketchum. No one had called her that in years. Now that someone just did, she couldn't help but be relieved of hearing that again.

"Nice to meet you, Emma. I'm Serena, if you didn't know that already."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm so sorry about your husband." Emma commented.

"Thanks for being respectful. But I'm okay." Serena said, still a little surprised. "So, what are your thoughts on my husband?"

"Well, I can't really say. I never really knew him since he disappeared before I was born. I mean, he left twenty four years ago and I'm only seventeen, so there's a seven year gap in there." Emma explained. "But like I said before, my dad was and still is a huge fan of Ash Ketchum and he used to show me and my brother and sister so many recorded videos of Ash in his battles. I admit, he was a stellar battler, and he had a lot going for him. I don't know why whoever did what they did to ruin his reputation but he was a spectacular human being who was erased from existence because of one false rumor."

Now there was someone else who was still a believer. Sure, they weren't even alive when Ash went into disappearance but they still knew about him and what big of an impact he made on the people of his day, but it also seemed he did the same thing with the people of the next generation. It warmed her heart to think about that.

"I appreciate that you have faith in my husband. It seems that there aren't very many people who do but at least there's a handful that remain that way." Serena stated.

"Oh sure. I'm proud to still be one of those that firmly believe that the Champ will resurface one day. I just wish he could see that there are still people out there that still respect his talent and determination and wouldn't think of him any less." Emma explained.

"I agree." Phil added. Emma looked at him and nodded her head.

"Thank you. How long have you been sitting here actually?"

"For about a good hour. She's told me the first few memories she had with him after he won the title of World Champion and when she became his girlfriend." Phil explained.

"Oh man, I missed that?" Emma said. "Would you mind repeating how that happened?"

Serena didn't hesitate to do so. It was only fair since she already let Phil know. She retold the beginning of her story to Emma so she would know how it all started. For Phil, it was just a refresher course. After taking about a good five minutes of getting at least the most important details in there, Emma had a good understanding of what happened.

"Aw, you two met as little kids and ended up getting married? That's so sweet! That really shows that true love is forever." Emma commented. Phil nodded his head in agreement.

"You know, I've never had a boyfriend myself. But fact is, I do have a male friend that I've been friends with since I was seven. Sometimes I've been feeling as if I'm actually attracted to him but other times I feel like the complete opposite. I don't know what to do. What should I do?" Emma asked.

"You should just follow your heart, that's how I did it. If you feel even just an ounce of attraction towards this boy, you should make your move and do what your heart wants, not your brain." Serena explained.

"What if he turns me down? What if he says he just wants to stay friends?" Emma asked.

"You can do one of two things: You can leave things the way they are and just stay friends, or you can find a way to convince him to think otherwise. Just remember that in order for a relationship to work, both people must have feelings that are mutual, because it's not going to work if only one person does. You hear what I'm saying?" Serena explained.

"I understand. Thanks for the advice." Emma responded.

Phil knew that was true. When it came to his wife, they both had to have the romantic feelings towards one another and that's what happened when he started going out with her long ago. But now that Emma was caught up, Phil decided to dig deeper into Serena's story.

"So, let me ask you another question." Phil stated.

"Go ahead."

"Was there, anything else that he did that lifted you off your feet?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did he shock you in any way by doing something… out of nowhere?"

Serena then thought of something that did in fact happen. "Oh, yeah, the next thing that he did… was something that made a childhood dream of mine come true."

 **Thirty two years earlier**

Ash had just won against a member of the Hoenn elite four, and he swept the floor with him too. That was how most battles were for Ash these days, him winning pretty damn easily. Some were even by a landslide. About three of Ash's friends had gathered onto the battlefield but the rest of them had decided to stand at the entrance to the battlefield and wait for him to exit when everything was done. A reporter came up to Ash to get his thoughts of the battle.

"Hey Ketchum, great battle out there. What helped you win the battle out there today?" The reporter asked.

"You know, just the usual. Keep busy with your Pokemon, train them the best you can so they know their true power. And above all else… never give up until it's over." Ash explained.

"How about your opponent?"

"He did put up a great fight. I admit there were some times where I may have struggled and he bested me, but overall, he was a fierce opponent."

"You heard it people. The words of wisdom and empowerment from our World Champ. Ketchum, anything else you want to say?"

Ash closed his eyes and smirked. "There is actually one more thing I want to say, and it's more of a question, and I want to hear the whole world to hear it."

"Okay, go ahead." Ash then turned around towards Serena and took a few steps up to her since she was standing right behind him. Ash knew this was the right moment, and it was time, and he knew it too.

It was time to nut up or shut up.

Ash took Serena's left hand and grasped them with both of his. "Serena…"

"Yes Ash?"

Ash took a deep breath. "I think… that now might be as good as time as any to do this."

Ash released his right hand from the grip and bent down on one knee and took a box out of his right back pocket. Serena was shocked when she saw him doing this and covered her mouth with both her hands.

"Serena, you and I go way back. We've known each other for so long and our history goes a long way and I'd like that to continue for years to come. And now, what I want to say is…"

"Serena… will you marry me?"

Serena had been waiting for this moment for ages, and it was now coming true. She had a hard time believing that it was really happening, but no matter how many times she closed her eyes, she would never wake up from this dream, so she responded the only way she could think of.

"YES! YES!"

Ash got up from his feet and the two kissed and hugged. The crowd roared with enthusiasm seeing that their World Champ had just proposed to his girlfriend. Ash took the ring out of the box and took Serena's left hand and placed the ring on Serena's outstretched ring finger. The two kissed again, with the fans, their friends and families looking on. They weren't going to let anyone ruin this moment. It was too perfect.

 **End of flashback**

"Aw, that was so great! He did it in front of a crowd. He definitely wanted to make your guys' relationship public. He really went all out, didn't he?" Emma stated.

"Yeah. He didn't really care who knew about our engagement and the connection we had. Showed me that he really matured and developed as a person. I saw him in a new light that day, and I never looked back." Serena explained.

"I wish I could've seen it myself. I wasn't even born yet so I never got a chance to see it and I doubt one of my parents recorded it." Phil explained.

"Yeah, me too. That was well before my time. But I bet it was more beautiful to actually see it happen than to hear about how it happened. Man, why wasn't I born sooner?" Emma stated.

"You guys would've loved it. That moment definitely changed my life, but, who doesn't it happen to when they get engaged?" Serena said.

"So how did everyone else take the news? I'm pretty sure you got a lot of calls from your friends and loved ones." Phil stated.

"Oh yes. We sure did." Serena replied.

 **Flashback thirty two years**

Ash was in the bathroom washing his hands, Serena was sitting in the bedroom, arm outstretched and hand raised, admiring her ring. She was beyond ecstatic. She had been waiting for this day for almost a decade and a half. Now that it was reality, she could finally live in the dream she had been thinking about for so long.

"I can't believe this actually happened. I'm finally going to be Mrs. Serena Ketchum. I just… I just… It's just too hard to believe." She thought to herself. That line had been ringing around in her head since that afternoon when the proposal happened. But could she really help it? Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She picked it up and wouldn't you know it, it was her mother, and she was facetiming her.

"Hey mom."

"Hi honey. Congratulations on your engagement! I'm so happy for you."

Serena smiled. "Thank you mom." She held up her left hand which held the ring. "See it mom? I'm so excited!" She squealed.

"I can easily tell. You're now an engaged woman. Enjoy it. You know your brother is happy for you too." Grace stated.

"I know. I will call him once I'm done calling you. I really want to hear what he has to say as well."

"Well, once again honey, congratulations. I've gotta go. Your stepfather is going to be home soon and I'm pretty sure he's going to be tired. I'll let him know to call you tomorrow when he's well rested."

"Okay, thanks for calling mom."

"No problem. I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye."

Little did she know, that Ash was in the bathroom as well talking to his mother. She was just as excited as Grace was, and she was crying tears of joy.

"Honey… I… I… I'm so happy for you. I'm so proud of you. And you did it on tv in front of the whole world, now that was gutsy. Congratulations!" Delia said.

"Thanks mom."

"I never thought that you would do it that way, but I guess you wanted the whole world to know. You've really grown as a young man, and now you're engaged at twenty, never thought that you would be getting married so early in your life." Delia explained.

"Well, we're going to wait until we're twenty one to get married, so at least within the next year." Ash explained.

"Why wait until you're twenty one?"

"Well, I can't really drink champagne at twenty."

"Oh yeah."

"Well that's just a random reason. We just need a good amount of time to plan and set up everything." Ash explained.

"Well, that's true. Anyway, I'm very happy for you honey. Enjoy your first night as an engaged man. I've got to go. I'll talk to you later honey." Delia said.

"Talk to you later mom."

After Ash hung up the phone, he went back into the bedroom. He saw Serena still gazing at her ring. She had been doing that since they got home, and that was five hours ago.

"Still admiring it, huh?"

At the sound of Ash's voice, Serena suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked back at him, blushing out of embarrassment.

"Looked like an idiot doing that, didn't I?" Serena asked.

Ash smiled. "You're anything but an idiot to me." He said as he sat down on the bed. "You've been looking at that for hours."

"How could I not Ash? I'm finally living my dream. I'm going to be your wife within a year's time. You have no idea how long I've been thinking about this." Serena explained.

"With what you've been doing since we've got home, I would have a pretty good idea." Ash stated. "I'm glad you're happy."

Serena smiled. "I'm more than happy."

"Great!"

"In fact… so happy… that… I might have to reward you." She looked at him with a loving gaze.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She giggled a bit. "Well, you proposed to me, I think that is enough for… something." She mentioned as she leaned closer, gaze still stuck on Ash.

Ash chuckled. "Not tonight. I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow."

"What will be so special tomorrow? It's just going to be a normal day, our second day as an engaged couple, this is our first, might as well make it count." Serena stated.

Ash thought about it, and he knew he wasn't going to get out of this. She was being persistent.

"All right. I guess I should keep my woman happy." Ash said.

Serena giggled. "Now that's more like it."

After that, they put their arms around each other and kissed. After a few seconds, it turned into making out. They slowly fell over onto the bed, letting their passionate embrace go on for as long as it could.

They had a right to. They were going to be forever united.

 **Author's note:** Aw, that was sweet. Now they're engaged. Way to go Ash, way to be a man! Ash proposing to Serena is as good as it can get, until they get married of course. Probably a good proposal if you ask me, although in my opinion not as good as the proposal chapter in Against All Odds. This story is now a third of the way done, and I think it's running smoothly, at least that's what I think, I'm not sure what your guys' opinion is at the moment, but I'll let you leave your thoughts. Totally optional though (Like with reading the review responses at the beginning of the chapter I stated). And if you read it carefully, while Serena was talking to her mom, Grace mentioned "brother". Well, if you must know, that is my OC. I hope you guys are okay with it and that you will warm up to him. Next, the preview. This is also optional, although I recommend doing so if you want a general idea of the next chapter.

"Ash, you've got to get ready. The ceremony starts in about ten minutes." Misty said.

"Okay, Misty, thanks for letting me know." Ash replied, trying to fix the position of his bow tie. Misty came up to Ash and turned him around and hugged him.

"Ash, you've grown so much as a person since I first met you. At first, I thought you were a whiny little kid who barely knew anything about Pokemon battles, but I've seen you develop more as a trainer and as a person. I gotta say, Serena is a lucky girl. She's marrying a great guy."

"Thanks a lot Misty. You've grown a lot too. Glad to have you here." Ash responded.

"Well, I'm glad to be here. Now, you get yourself all situated, only little time left until you're a married man." Misty said and then left the room.

Ash knew he wasn't the only person who grew over the last eleven years. Since he was ten, everyone he encountered and stayed friends with since then had changed in the time he had known them. But out of all of the people that changed the most since he met them… was the person he was spending the rest of his life with starting today.

"A lot has gone on in so long. Just to think that out of all of them, the one I've known the longest is going to be my wife for eternity. I will remain loyal to her, faithful, love her to the moon and back until the day I die." Ash said to himself. Tracy came into the room a moment later.

"Hey Ash, you doing all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. A little nervous though." Ash replied.

"Everyone is on their wedding day. Even Serena is."

"Is that so?"

"Especially so. Perhaps more so than you."

"Really?" Ash replied, looking past Tracy's shoulder.

"Ash, she's been wanting to be your wife since you two met, you bet she's more nervous than you. Her dream is finally coming true, thanks to you." Tracy explained.

"Yeah, I guess this is going to be the best day of her life, isn't it." Ash stated.

"Most likely, and it should be yours too."

"Oh, for sure it is. Wouldn't want it any other way."

Tracy nodded. "Good for you Ash. If you want to know what Serena looks like, I say she will take your breath away when you see her."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. Don't want anything spoiled though, that would ruin it."

"I should get back to the other guys, they're standing around waiting for it to get under way."

"Okay, see you in a bit, Trace." Ash said. "Oh, by the way, do I look all right?"

"You look spiffy, Ash, now go nail this." Tracy stated and then left the room.

Ash looked at his watch. Only five more minutes until the ceremony started. Ash was a little shaky, but he had to be strong… for her. This was the biggest day of their life, and he didn't want to ruin it. It was almost time, and he needed to make the most of it.

They both did.

 **Author's note-2:** OH MY FREAKING GOD! THE WEDDING CHAPTER IS NEXT! *Clears throat* Sorry, got a little overexcited there, but I'm thinking some of you will be too considering those of you reading this story like Amourshipping (You wouldn't be if you didn't). What will wind down during our favorite couples special day? Will anything hold them back from tying the knot? Is there anyone that will object to their love? Will my nachos ever get done in the oven? Seriously, they've been in there ten minutes and the cheese is barely bubbling. While I wait for my third favorite Mexican food to get done, wait a week for the next chapter, because it could be here quicker than my chips getting toasted. I will meet up with you guys in a week, until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**

" **If it makes you feel any better, Thursday is no longer cruciferous vegetable night."**

 **-Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory, Episode The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification**

 **(Ha! Didn't forget it this time!)**


	6. Always

**TDBigJ's message:** *Repeatedly hitting myself in the head with a hammer* Yep… I'm back. After a YEAR AND FREAKING SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS I'm back. Yeah I know, I kept you waiting that long for a new chapter. I'm a damn idiot. The one guy who gives you an update pretty much every week took THAT FREAKING LONG to give you another chapter. I know you guys aren't happy. I've got a couple reasons why I haven't updated in so long. Work is the number one reason why. Work has been very hectic for me, but I guess that's what happens when you're pushing carts for WalMart (A lot of people can understand this one). A lot has happened at my job since I last updated. For one thing, three of the four people I started with have left. I gained a co-worker at this time last year and I can tolerate him but he can be really annoying at times, (my other courtesy associates can't stand him). I've gained a few since then but there is currently only six of us out on the lot, so yeah, pretty stressful. Another reason is that I had lost interest in typing my story or any fanfiction for that reason. A thing I regret is that I didn't put an *ON HIATUS* notice on my summary to let you guys know I wouldn't be updating for a while. COULDN'T EVEN FRICKIN' DO THAT! But other than that, some more things happened in my life. My brother got married, I became an uncle, the EAGLES WON THE FREAKING SUPER BOWL, THE RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES! (These two I'm really happy about), etc., etc. But besides all that, yeah, I'm not happy with myself for keeping my readers waiting this long for another chapter. But one thing that I'm happy about that there still has been support for my stories, like new favorites and followers for both my stories and me. But I want to make things up to you guys, I will give you a new chapter for this story and I might make another story or two to make up not everything but at least some for me being gone this long. I wanted to give you guys at least one update in 2018. Anyway, enough of my unnecessary rambling and typing in caps for some odd reason and let's get to the reviews.

 **Espeon44:** Thank you, I'm glad it's improving in some way!

 **Amourshipper35:** Glad you liked it! Yeah that does seem like something Ash would do. Thanks for the review!

 **TheAztecKing:** Happy that you're excitedly anticipating this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for the review!

 **Nexxus176:** Yeah it pretty much is but in Serena's point of view. Thanks for the review!

 **Shadic4566:** I'm glad too! I'm pretty sure we all are. Yeah I know, it is kind of a weird reason for them to wait but that's what I am: weird. Glad you liked the quote, I love that movie. Thanks for the review!

 **Brig nodrm2347:** Glad you liked the chapter! I think all or at least most of the people reading this story are looking forward to this chapter. I mean, who doesn't like a good amourshipping wedding? Yeah, the OC is Serena's brother. I'm not one who usually puts OCs in my stories but this is one I've really been wanting to use. He's going to have somewhat of an impact in this story as well, even describing the meeting between him and Ash. I've seen one author give Serena a brother in one of their stories, and they just so happen to be one of the regulars who reads and reviews every chapter of this story, but this is something I've been wanting to do before I read that story of his. That's good that I'm pacing the story well, that's something that I want to hear about my writing. Thanks for the review!

 **Wolves22 (Guest #1):** You'll just have to wait and see.

 **76ers (Guest #2):** It will be.

 **Guest #3:** Thank you for the continued support and I will be updating the crossover story sometime soon, although I don't know exactly when, but I'll let you know when it's almost done. Thank for the reviews!

 **Nick Kelley:** Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry. Just like I said in the message, work for the last year and a half has been hell for me, especially during the holiday season we just got through. Being a cart pusher is one hell of a job, and I don't exactly mean that in a positive way, but not a negative one either. I lost the will the write for a long time but it's come back and I will hopefully get back to consistently updating in the near future. I hope you haven't given up hope on me or the story, just like I hope no one else who reads this story has, although they would have a good reason why if they don't anymore. Thanks for the concern and the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.**

"It sounds like he really wanted everybody to know how he felt about you." Phil stated.

"And you're telling me he used to be dense? How did he get so smart about it?" Emma exclaimed, with a confused but serious tone in her voice.

"I guess when he started dating me I gave him some pointers on the subject of having a relationship. He even asked me." Serena said.

"Any specific ones?"

"Just the basics really. Holding hands, kissing, cuddling, but other than that, there's been so many that I can't even name one of the top of my head.

Emma got a look of excitement on her face. "I really want to know, how did your wedding go? I'm dying to hear about it!" She exclaimed, bouncing a little in her seat.

"Oh, you're going to love it! It was probably the best day of my life hands down. So, let me tell you how it all went…

 **Flashback**

"Ash, you've got to get ready. The ceremony starts in about ten minutes." Misty said.

"Okay, Misty, thanks for letting me know." Ash replied, trying to fix the position of his bow tie. Misty came up to Ash and turned him around and hugged him.

"Ash, you've grown so much as a person since I first met you. At first, I thought you were a whiny little kid who barely knew anything about Pokemon battles, but I've seen you develop more as a trainer and as a person. I gotta say, Serena is a lucky girl. She's marrying a great guy."

"Thanks a lot Misty. You've grown a lot too. Glad to have you here." Ash responded.

"Well, I'm glad to be here. Now, you get yourself all situated, only little time left until you're a married man." Misty said and then left the room.

Ash knew he wasn't the only person who grew over the last eleven years. Since he was ten, everyone he encountered and stayed friends with since then had changed in the time he had known them. But out of all of the people that changed the most since he met them… was the person he was spending the rest of his life with starting today.

"A lot has gone on in so long. Just to think that out of all of them, the one I've known the longest is going to be my wife for eternity. I will remain loyal to her, faithful, love her to the moon and back until the day I die." Ash said to himself. Tracy came into the room a moment later.

"Hey Ash, you doing all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. A little nervous though." Ash replied.

"Everyone is on their wedding day. Even Serena is."

"Is that so?"

"Especially so. Perhaps more so than you."

"Really?" Ash replied, looking past Tracy's shoulder.

"Ash, she's been wanting to be your wife since you two met, you bet she's more nervous than you. Her dream is finally coming true, thanks to you." Tracy explained.

"Yeah, I guess this is going to be the best day of her life, isn't it." Ash stated.

"Most likely, and it should be yours too."

"Oh, for sure it is. Wouldn't want it any other way."

Tracy nodded. "Good for you Ash. If you want to know what Serena looks like, I say she will take your breath away when you see her."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. Don't want anything spoiled though, that would ruin it."

"I should get back to the other guys, they're standing around waiting for it to get under way."

"Okay, see you in a bit, Trace." Ash said. "Oh, by the way, do I look all right?"

"You look spiffy, Ash, now go nail this." Tracy stated and then left the room.

Ash looked at his watch. Only five more minutes until the ceremony started. Ash was a little shaky, but he had to be strong… for her. This was the biggest day of their life, and he didn't want to ruin it. It was almost time, and he needed to make the most of it.

They both did.

Liam walked down the hallway to where his sister, aka, the bride to be, was getting last minute preparations done before she walked down the aisle. Once he reached the door, he straightened his bow tie and opened the door, leaning into the doorway.

"So, the bride wanted to see me?"

 **Thirty minutes later**

So the time had finally come the ceremony was about to start. Both family and friends filled the pews in the church. Waiting for the ceremony to start. Once the church bells rang, everyone sat down, now ready to see the two elope.

The organ started playing the traditional wedding tune. The bridesmaids and groomsman started walking down the aisle in pairs. Pairs by the likes of: Max and Bonnie, Brock and Lucy, Gary and Misty, Liam and Aria, and Kenny and Dawn. After the five pairs had split and gone on opposite sides, it was time for the groom to walk down the aisle. At the entrance way appeared Ash and Delia, arm in arm as Delia walked her son down the aisle slowly. Delia looked at her son. Words were not enough for her to describe how proud of her flesh and blood she was at this very moment.

Right when they got to the steps, Delia leaned up and pecked her son on the forehead. "Go make her the happiest girl in the world honey." And she then went and sat down in her seat.

That's when the music started playing.

Ash looked down at the end of the aisle. Slowly walking up was his soon to be wife. Walking with her stepdad Blair. Her veil was still covering her face so Ash couldn't see how she looked. But he saw that she was wearing a long sleeve dress, with a u curved neckline. The sleeves were transparent, which Ash thought looked breathtaking. As she slowly took each step made Ash more nervous. He was this close to being bonded with the one girl who had sided with him since the day they first met. Ash didn't think that one day this would happen, but now he would never give it a second thought. Not a chance!

She finally reached the front. As Blair walked to his seat next to Grace, Ash removed the veil to reveal Serena's face. She looked nothing short of beautiful. Her hair was wrapped up in the back and had a bang on each side hanging down. Before Ash could say anything, the minister announced the start of the ceremony.

 **Forward to the vows**

"Now the couple would like to say their own vows that they have written for each other." The minister said as the ceremony continued.

Ash started. "Serena, I remember the day we met at Professor Oak's summer camp when we were very little. Just thinking that after helping you that day that in the distant future we were going to be bound forever. Reuniting with you in Kalos eleven years ago was unexpected but a day I will never forget or take back. I remember everything you did for me on that journey, you were the one that pushed me the most, gave me that drive. The moment in the forest that gave me my confidence back. When we met up once again years after we parted ways in Kalos, you did the exact same thing and kept standing by me, supporting me when I succeeded, comforting me when I failed. What I like to say is: You may be my number one fan, but I will always be yours as well, and I will love you forever, and I will never stop trying.

Then it was Serena's turn.

"Ash Kethcum, you've been the guy who always would push me to do my hardest, since the day we met up until today. You've always been the one I look up to. You have always been there through the best of times, the worst of times, and every other moment we've been together. You'll always be my hero, yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever. You told me to never give up until it's over, those have been the words that gave me drive for the better part of my life and it was said by the most remarkable person I have ever met. I love you. I always have, always will, and I will stay by your side forever.

The minister started. "Now Ash, do you take Serena to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or for poorer, for sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And Serena, do you take Ash to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or for poorer, for sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

The two leaned in and kissed for the first time as a married couple, everyone clapping and cheering. After the two had finished kissing, they started walking down the aisle and through the doors, with the bridesmaids and groomsmen following behind.

 **Later on**

As the two newlyweds were congratulated by Cynthia and her husband, an all too familiar chipper voice rang out, startling Ash and Serena. It was none other than Bonnie, who came up to hug both of her former travelling companions, behind her was Clemont. After she had done that, she looked Serena straight in the eye.

"So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Serena Ketchum?" Bonnie asked, a sly smirk spreading across her lips.

Serena blushed red. She was going to have to get used to hearing that now, especially from her. "It's… it's… like a dream come true Bonnie."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is." She replied. "Never thought I would see this day come, but I'm glad it did. I'm so happy for you two!"

"Same here. I'm glad you two found happiness. It's going to be so different now seeing you two as a married couple from here on out." Clemont stated.

"Ah, it's going to take some time getting used to." Ash said.

"For you, yes. But for Serena as well, but it will probably be easier for her." Bonnie stated.

"How's that?" Ash asked.

"Well, remember when we were younger? You knew nothing about romance while Serena knew pretty much everything." Bonnie explained.

"You have to admit that's true Ash." Clemont replied. "Girls are usually quicker than boys on that subject."

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I owe it to her. She basically opened my eyes to romance and gave me a general idea of what it was all about. If I never got it, we wouldn't be standing here right now as newlyweds. Liam came from behind them and aggressively bear hugged Ash from behind.

"Ah, I can't believe you two are married! My best friend married to my sister, now we are basically a family! Liam exclaimed.

Ash appreciated the hug but since Liam was so strong had a vice grip on the hug Ash was starting to lose oxygen.

"I'm really excited too about being part of your family Liam, but could you let me go? I can barely breathe?" Ash said, trying to gasp for air.

Liam nervously giggled and dropped his new brother-in-law and straightened out the latter's tux. "Heh heh, sorry buddy. Just a little excited is all."

"It's no problem at all Liam. But hey, think about this. The world champion is now married to the sister of an elite four member."

"Yeah, kind of crazy, huh? Two of the world's best now part of the same family. Funny how things play out." Liam stated.

After the couple had gotten congratulations from every single family and friend, it was time to have their first dance together. They went over to the dance floor and got in position to start.

"You remember how this goes?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. The weeks in dance classes should hopefully pay off." Ash responded.

After a few seconds, the song started playing. The song the two chose for their first dance was Always by Bon Jovi. The two of the started to slowly move to the song, gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. Ash thought she couldn't look any more beautiful than she was right now, but it wasn't the outer beauty that attracted her to him, it was the inner, but she was beautiful inside and out, that's what Ash admired about her, and a few other things.

As the two continued so slowly dance together, family and friends watching on, Serena laid her head on Ash's shoulder, her left hand on the other. It was the best day of her 21 year life…

And no other day was even close!

 **Author's note:** Whew, what a chapter! And it had some pretty sweet amourshipping moments in it as well. Probably one of my favorite chapters of any of my stories to date. I mean, I've done a wedding chapter before but this one was probably just as good. What did you guys think? Was it worth the wait? I hope so, but I don't blame you if it didn't. So there is pretty much nothing more to say, so let's get to the preview of the next chapter. Wait, do I remember doing that at the end of a chapter? I don't think- oh wait, yeah I did. So here you go!

Liam pulled out his badge case and opened it.

"Read it and weep!" He said.

As my brother showed me his badge case, I noticed that he had all eight gym badges, more than what Ash had. Ash saw it and had a look of surprise.

"Whoa, you have all eight? That's cool! I still have three more to go." Ash said.

"Just take a little more dedication and hard work into your training and you will sure get the remaining three. I know you can. I've seen how well a trainer you have been." Liam explained.

"How's that?" Ash asked.

"I've seen you before in the Pokemon leagues of past regions. You seem to have a good general idea of what tactics you have to use in a battle." Liam stated.

"I'm just surprised you recognized me. I've never met you before so it comes as a surprise to me." Ash said.

"Well I remember my sister used to talk to me about you all the time. She showed me a picture of you and her a few times so I could swear I had seen you before."

"Well, it's good to finally meet somebody who is just as determined to reach their goal as I am." Ash stated. "How well have you done in the leagues? Have you won any?"

Liam shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. The best I've ever done in a league is getting to the semifinals, and I've only managed to do that once. I've gotten as far as the quarterfinals three times and worse every other time." Liam explained.

"It's good that you've at least been in the final four at some point. Which league did that happen to be?" Ash asked.

"Hoenn." Liam replied.

"Yeah, I got to the quarterfinals in that one. Lost to a guy named Tyson that I had just met a few days prior. But it was all right. He was a respectful opponent." Ash said.

"Yeah, every single person that has beaten me in the leagues I had respect for, some of them said they were even lucky to beat me. But that only drives me to accomplish my goal. People that will fuel me with support that will eventually get me to where I want to be someday." Liam explained.

"So Liam, I want to ask you something. What inspired you to chase the goal of being a fighting master and being a member of the Kanto elite four?" Ash asked out of curiosity.

Liam looked down at the table and smiled. "Well, it was more of a matter of who rather than what."

Ash looked at Liam. "Who was it?"

 **Author's note-2:** Well there you have it. The next chapter will basically be an origin story of how Ash met my OC (i.e. Serena's brother). Besides what has been told, what else lies behind Liam's true origins as a trainer, and what has occurred through his journey up to the point of him and Ash meeting for the first time and the impact of the two when it comes to their goals? What do you think it is? Is it a mysterious reason? Does Liam hide a dark past? A strenuous one? Did a fly just buzz through one of my ears and out the other without me noticing? I can tell you the answer to at least three of these questions next chapter. So I will see you again all soon. I promise you it won't be another year and a half again. I will try to get three to five chapters out at once within the next month to make up for some of the time I've kept you guys waiting. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**

" **Well you can't give them a pork roast!"**

 **-Ryan Stiles, Whose Line Is It Anyway**


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